Clapton fans might know best: I understand Eric Clapton wrote the song, “Layla”, to express his love for Layla, George Harrison’s wife at the time. And, she DID leave him for Clapton. When did this happen? Was Harrison lost in Tibetan philosophy, and it was too much for her, so she left him? Or, is Clapton just a pure-bred, low-life?
I am not an authority on this subject by any means, but here’s what I’ve heard/read over the years: George was not an especially devoted husband to Patty Boyd. He had suggested “swinging” with another couple. Patty was definitely not cool with this. She was sad and upset over the problems in her marriage and Eric provided a shoulder to cry on. In the process of comforting her, Eric fell in love with Patty and begged her to leave George. She refused and tried to make a go of the marriage. After a while, realizing it was never going to work, she left George and ran to Eric. George’s response was something like “you can have her”.
Where does the name “Layla” come from? A nickname? middle name? Old Irish version of Patty? - Jinx
As I understand it, her name wasn’t actually Layla (it was something else), and I’m not entirely certain it was George Harrison’s wife. I think it was a couple or more years before the wife left him for Eric Clapton. I am probably wrong about some of the other stuff, but I’m reasonably certain her name wasn’t really Layla. Clapton and the Beatle were close friends and I think he’d have been immediately suspicious if Clapton wrote a song with his wife’s name.
I remember reading about this recently, but I can’t remember where it was.
George attended the wedding of Patti Boyd and Eric Clapton, so he may have actually been happy for them.
I don’t believe that the name Layla has any real connection (i.e., nickname, etc.) to Patti Boyd - I believe it is just a name that fit the meter and sounded good.
Oh…whoops. Someone beat me to it. 
Yeah, very GOOD point! - Jinx
Layla is the name of a legendary beauty in Persian poetry. EC thought it inappropriate to name his song after another man’s wife. He felt very guilty about the infatuation. (The album Layla is one of the five best rock and roll albums ever made IMHO and should be listened to as a whole). I think at the time the album was made that Harrison and Boyd were still married. When Patty and Eric finally did get together, George’s reaction was not as crushed and cuckolded husband, but was mysterious, like George. He said he still loved both of them, or some such. I am deeply saddened by George’s death, which has been reported today. I know he had a good and long life, but his music and outlook on life were special.
DPWhite is correct. The poem is “Layla and Majnun” and is quite famous. A professor of mine once insisted that after the Russians, the Persians are the most poetry-besotted folk in the world. The late Ayatollah Khomeini used to write poetry about such sensual subjects as wine-drinking, which as a devout Muslim were denied him in the material world.
Anyway, poetry hijack aside, to the best of my knowledge it was indeed written about his repressed longing for Patti Harrison, nee Patti Boyd.
George Harrison has died? What a crying shame 
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Here’s a good description of things in this Pattie Boyd biography. http://members.fortunecity.com/pattiboyd/bio.html
George wasn’t all that bummed about it; He and Pattie were divorced in 1977, and he played at Eric and Pattie’s wedding reception in 1979 (along with Paul and Ringo).
Another tidbit: Eric and Pattie are credited (along with Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Graham Nash, Keith Moon and others) as the chorus singers on All You Need Is Love long before in 1967.
Chronology wise:
Layla was released in 1970
George and Pattie were divorced in 1977
Eric and Pattie were married in 1979
Big bummer about Geoge Harrison dying today.
Clapton did name the song “Layla” after the poem “Layla and Majnun”, a version of which he had recently read (he was into Sufi mysticism). “Layla and Majnun” is considered by many scholars to be a religious allegory, but the surface story must have seemed more relevant to Clapton at the time – Majnun and his beloved Layla are unable to be together in life, not least of all because Layla is married to another man.
That’s because it was conceived as a concept album/rock opera.
I once heard George say in an interview, “Well, I’d rather she married my friend instead of some jerk.”
Besides, by the time Patti and Eric were married, George was already married or seeing his 2nd wife, Olivia.
I was going to say something similar, pepperlandgirl. Looking at the dates, George and Patti were divorced in 1977, and George’s son with Olivia is 24 according to news reports…
I saw a ‘Making of…’ show about that album. Eric said of ‘Layla’ (the song) it was just a little throw away thing I had. Duanne (Allman) invented the intro and turned it into a song.
All Things Must Pass, and George has passed on to wherever it is people go; if there is a heaven I’m sure he will be there thanks to all the great joy he has given in his life, through his music.
Bumped.
Philip Norman’s new biography George Harrison: The Reluctant Beatle has a long look at the triad.
Basically, Eric fell in love with Patty very early but he was too reluctant to hurt his best friend unless one of them made the first move. He suffered in mostly silence for many years.
Meanwhile, George became a nutcase. His devotion to Eastern religions was certainly sincere, although he was fanatical in how and when he applied that, and that devotion was alternated with alcoholism and drug use. He was wildly jealous of any man who came close to Patty - another reason for Eric to back off - except when he proposed a drunken swap for Eric’s girlfriend. (Eric slept with Patty’s sister instead.) Innocent Patty claimed she didn’t realize Layla was about her until Eric told her. But as George got weirder, more abusing, and used the many rooms in his mansion to sleep with and even house other woman, he and Patty spent more time living apart. Eventually Eric fessed up. Of course, he was thoroughly messed up on heroin and booze so that never worked out either.
Their lasting marriages came after they got sober, but until then they were two guys you definitely wouldn’t want to spend any time around. And the women had it worse.