Patricia Anne "Pattie" Boyd (born 17 March 1944) is an English model and photographer, and the former wife of both George Harrison and Eric Clapton. She was the inspiration for love songs written by both musicians, most notably Harrison's "Something" (however, Harrison claimed to write it for Ray Charles), "For You Blue", and Clapton's "Layla", "Wonderful Tonight," and "Bell Bottom Blues."
Boyd started her modelling career in 1962, but was rejected by many photographers owing to her unconventional looks, including rather prominent front teeth; one stated, "models don't look like rabbits". She modelled in London, New York and Paris (for Mary Quant and others), and was photographed by David Bailey and Terence Donovan. After becoming George Harrison's girlfriend, Boyd was asked by Gloria Stavers to write a regular column for 16 Magazine. Twiggy, the popular 1960s model, commented that she based her own look on Boyd when starting her modelling career in 1966. Boyd, who was nineteen in 1964, met George Harrison during the filming of the Beatles' A Hard Day's Night, in which she was cast as a schoolgirl fan. Boyd was "semi-engaged" to boyfriend Eric Swayne, whom she had dated for about a year, and out of loyalty declined Harrison's first invitation for a date, but said that Harrison was the most beautiful man she had ever seen. One of the first things Harrison said to her was "Will you marry me?" Boyd laughed, so Harrison said, "Well, if you won't marry me, will you have dinner with me tonight?" Several days later, when Boyd was recalled for another day's work on the film, Harrison asked her out again and she accepted, having ended the relationship with Swayne. Their first date was spent at the Garrick Club (a private gentlemen's club) in Covent Garden, in the company of The Beatles' manager, Brian Epstein. Lennon and Mick Jagger were also said to have been attracted to Boyd, with Jagger admitting to then-girlfriend Bebe Buell in the 1980s that he had failed to seduce Boyd after trying for years. In the late 1960s, Clapton and Harrison became close friends, and began writing and recording music together. It was reported at this time that Clapton fell in love with Boyd. Clapton also fell in love with Boyd's 17-year-old sister, Paula, who moved in with him. Paula left Clapton when she heard "Layla", because the song confirmed that Clapton had been using her as a substitute for her sister. Boyd had a brief affair with future Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood in 1973, as her marriage to Harrison was failing. Boyd states that Harrison's increasing religious explorations and personality changes brought about by drug use and business problems irrevocably alienated her, and they split in June 1974 and she flew to Los Angeles to stay with her sister Jenny. She divorced George in 1977 and married his best friend Eric Clapton in 1979. Boyd and Clapton's ended their marriage in 1988, the divorce was granted on the grounds of "infidelity and unreasonable behaviour.Despite the turbulent relationship, Clapton remained a friend years after.
An exhibition of photographs taken by Boyd during her days with Harrison and Clapton opened at the San Francisco Art Exchange on Valentine's Day 2005, titled, Through the Eye of a Muse. The exhibition also ran again in San Francisco in February 2006, for six weeks in June and July of 2006, in London, in Dublin in August and September 2008, and in Toronto, Canada in November and December 2008 at the Great Hall.
With The Beatles
With The Rolling Stones
With her first husband , George Harrison
With her second husband, Eric Clapton
(Wikipedia, imdb, fanpix, fanpop, swinging chicks of the sixties)
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