lots of demons

https://variety.com/2023/music/news/jim-gordon-drummer-layla-cowriter-dead-1235555775/

a somewhat mitigating factor

their headline where the sun doesn't shine. Jim Gordon was far more than "the drummer for Eric Clapton". If his doctors hadn't misdiagnosed him and had treated his mental health issues for what they really were the tragedy with his mother could have been avoided. Jim Gordon was one of the most talented drummers of the '60's and '70's and was sought after and worked with top musicians from every genre.

However, Rita Coolidge, his girlfriend at the time, has said it was she who actually wrote it. She says that she didn't dare challenge his claim of authorship because he was dangerously abusive.

mental health issues were untreated and like so many who suffer these issues he was "self-medicating" with alcohol. So the doctors were looking at it as an alcoholism problem. His playing and creativity across genres was marvelous and is reflected by the wide range of artists and major albums/songs that carry his name. As I recall Bobby Whitlock spoke about the problems and abusiveness.

My main objection was Variety relegating him to the equivalent of a side man for Clapton. They likely threw Clapton's name in there to get clicks but it tends to depict the career of Jim Gordon as something far less than it was. He would still have been what he was and provided his artistry even had there not been Delaney or Clapton. It offends me in the same way as if someone would have run a headline saying "Ginger Baker dies. Was the drummer for Eric Clapton". Same sort of thing.

He messed around with classical piano for his own entertainment. He messed around with different ideas, but hadn't recorded much before Layla.

...and begged him to allow it to be recorded and included as part of the album.

Tom Dowd says he brought it up to Clapton and asked Jim to do that song he was playing. Clapton dug the idea.
So, it was Clapton or it was Gordon or it was Dowd.
Any way it happened, it ended up as the coda to an iconic song!