--- description: "I want to thank him for all the inspiration and encouragement" title: Eric Clapton Pays Tribute to B.B. King image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt70dace770f069783/6987efdacd6848245909e0a7/clapton-king.jpeg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [remembrance](/tag/remembrance/) ## remembrance Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Watch Eric Clapton Thank B.B. King 'For All the Inspiration and Encouragement' by [Sarah Begley](/author/sarah-begley/) ## Sarah Begley Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 15, 2015 1:01 PM CUT  Eric Clapton and B.B. King performs onstage during the 2010 Crossroads Guitar Festival at Toyota Park on June 26, 2010 in Bridgeview, Illinois. Eric Clapton and B.B. King performs onstage during the 2010 Crossroads Guitar Festival at Toyota Park on June 26, 2010 in Bridgeview, Illinois.Kevin Mazur—WireImage/Getty Images by [Sarah Begley](/author/sarah-begley/) ## Sarah Begley Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 15, 2015 1:01 PM CUT Eric Clapton remembered his friend and colleague B.B. King in a video posted to Facebook Friday morning, saying he wanted to express his sadness. “He was a beacon for all of us who love this kind of music,” Clapton said in the video below. “If you’re not familiar with his work, I would encourage you to go out and find an album called _B.B. King Live at the Regal_, which is where it all really started for me as a young player.” Clapton and King collaborated on the 2000 album _Riding With the King_. King died Thursday night; he was 89. ### Look Back at B.B. King's Life and Career  B.B. King a local DJ at WDIA Radio poses for a portrait circa 1948 in Memphis, Tenn. Michael Ochs Archives/ Getty images  B.B. King poses for a portrait in 1950. Gilles Petard/Redferns  From Left: Musicians B.B. King, Eric Clapton and Elvin Bishop perform together in 1967 in New York City. Don Paulsen—Michael Ochs Archives  B.B. King performs on a TV show in Los Angeles in the early 1970's . Michael Ochs Archives/ Getty images  B.B. King performs at the Farm Aid concert in Champaign, Ill. on Sept. 22, 1985. Bettmann/Corbis  From Left: U2 and B.B. King perform onstage during The Lovetown tour on Sept. 1, 1989 in Australia. Bob King—Redferns  From Left: B.B. King and John Lee Hooker pose for a portrait on Jan. 1, 1997. Bill Reitzel—Corbis  From Left: President Bill Clinton plays the sax with B.B. King at 'A Family Celebration 2001' at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. on April 1, 2001 Kevin Winter—Getty Images  B.B. King performs during the funeral for legendary singer and musician Ray Charles at the First AME Church in Los Angeles on June 18, 2004. Genaro Molina—Reuters/Corbis  B.B. King smiles while President George W. Bush presents King with the Medal of Freedom on Dec. 15, 2006 in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC. Tim Sloan—AFP/Getty Images  From Left: B.B. King watches as President Barack Obama waves during the National Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony on the Ellipse near the White House in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 9, 2010. Saul Loeb—AFP/Getty Images  B.B. King performs at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre on Aug. 13, 2013 in Atlanta. John Davidson—Corbis ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3860032/eric-clapton-bb-king/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3860032/eric-clapton-bb-king/"},"headline":"Watch Eric Clapton Thank B.B. 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