Derek and the Dominos’ Bobby Whitlock Dead at 77

Derek & the Dominos founder Bobby Whitlock has died, TMZ can confirm.

His "heartbroken" manager Carol Kaye tells us he passed Sunday morning at 1:20 AM "after a brief illness." He took his last breath at home in Texas, surrounded by family.

His family is currently working to pinpoint a charity fans can send donations to in his honor, Kaye says.

His wife, Coco Carmel Whitlock, honored his rise from rags to riches in a statement to TMZ, asking ... "How do you express in but a few words the grandness of one man who came from abject poverty in the south to heights unimagined in such a short time?"

She adds ... "My love Bobby looked at life as an adventure taking me by the hand leading me through a world of wonderment from music to poetry and painting. I feel his hands that were so intensely expressive and warm on my face and the small of my back whenever I close my eyes, he is there."

She finishes off her tribute by sharing a quote Bobby lived by ... "Life is what you make it, so take it and make it beautiful."

Whitlock is best known for cofounding the blues rock band in 1970 with Eric Clapton and heavily contributing to their album "Layla & Other Assorted Love Songs" -- but he was leaving his mark on the music industry long before then.

His All Music bio says he was a routine musician in recording sessions at the iconic Memphis, Tennessee Stax Studios as a teen and even became the first white artist signed to Stax Records. The record label was one of the most popular soul music labels in the '60s and helped shape "Memphis Sound."

Whitlock's work with Derek and the Dominos also connected him with Beatles legend George Harrison, with whom he collaborated on his solo project "All Things Must Pass." He's also uncredited on the Rolling Stones' 1972 album, "Exile on Main Street."

Near the end of his life, the "Bell Bottom Blues" co-writer picked up a passion for painting -- completing 1,800 pieces since 2018.

His website notes ... "If anyone could paint how they feel, it is Bobby. He has managed to tap into that inner something that expresses on canvas what he is feeling."

He was 77 when he died.