Eric Clapton was forced to cut his performance short after he was struck in the chest. The 81-year-old rock and blues legend was performing at the Movistar Arena in Spain as part of his European tour on Friday when the incident occurred.

The singer was reportedly planning to treat the crowd to an encore after his song Cocaine before he was pelted in the chest by an object. The vinyl record still sealed in its packaging was thrown from the audience, hitting the veteran musician in the chest.

Footage has been circulating on social media which captured the horror moment. It shows an object flying toward him before hitting him and falling to the floor. Eric's demeanour shifted when it made contact with him, the smile leaving his face.

He abruptly walked off the stage and according to concert goers he did not return to the stage.

Spanish fans took to social media to condemn the person responsible for ruining the finale.

One user wrote: "What a shameless jerk, the one who threw the vinyl."

One attendee described the evening as "by far the worst" concert they had witnessed, criticising the lack of interaction with the audience.

"No hello, no goodbye, no band intro, no energy, no encore -- just boredom with a guitar," the user complained.

Spanish newspaper El País reported that the person who launched the record had not intended to cause harm, having attached a note of affection to the vinyl.

The identity of the thrower remains unknown.

His European tour continues this weekend, with a performance scheduled at Barcelona's Palau Sant Jordi on May 10 before dates in Germany the following week.

The Ripley-born guitarist will perform just one UK date as part of his tour, which lands on August 23 at the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, where he’ll be joined by Rolling Stones legend Ronnie Wood.