Jim Gordon.Photo: Jim McCrary/Redferns
Jim Gordon — a drummer forEric ClaptonandGeorge Harrisonwho was convicted of murder — has died, PEOPLE can confirm. He was 77.
Gordon died on Monday from natural causes at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville, California, “after a long incarceration and lifelong battle with mental illness,” his publicist, Bob Merlis, tells PEOPLE.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Brian Cooke/Redferns
Born in July 1945, Gordon would go on toperform on numerous recordingsthroughout the 1960s, includingThe Beach Boys' legendaryPet Soundsalbum, according toThe Los Angeles Times.
Gordon also played for Delaney & Bonnie, whose guitarist at the time was Clapton, 77. He and the artist later went on to form Derek and the Dominos, which helped craft Harrison’s 1970 albumAll Things Must Pass, per theTimes.
Clapton and Gordon also co-wrote the star’s 1971 hit “Layla” — which garneredGordon his first and only Grammy Award.
Gordon began to show signs of mental illness in 1970, when he reportedly punched his then-girlfriend, Rita Coolidge, in a hotel, perVariety.
Over a decade later in 1983, hefatally attacked his 72-year-old mother, Osa Gordon, with a hammer and a knife, according toThe New York Post.
Gordon confessed to the murder, claiming that a voice inside his head told him to kill his mother,Varietyreported. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia following his arrest.
In 1984 the artist was sentenced to 16 years to life in prison. He was denied parole several times throughout the years, per theTimes.
source: people.com
