Tom Jones Shares His Late Wife’s Heartfelt Last Words

In a heartfelt revelation, Sir Tom Jones opened up about the last words of his beloved wife, Melinda ‘Linda’ Trenchard, before she succumbed to cancer. Their enduring love story spanned nearly six decades, starting with their wedding in 1957 and continuing until Linda’s passing in 2016. During an emotional segment on BBC’s Sounds of the 60s with Tony Blackburn, the 85-year-old singer shared the poignant advice Linda imparted on him during her final moments in the hospital.

“When my wife knew that she had terminal cancer, I was with her for the last 10 days in the hospital. She said, ‘Look, I gotta leave, but you don’t fall with me. I’m going down, I know, there’s nothing I can do about it, but don’t you do that,’” Tom recalled, his voice imbued with emotions. He reminisced about how Linda’s unwavering strength in her illness inspired him to keep forging ahead in his illustrious career. According to him, she urged, “Don’t you fall with me; you’ve got to keep going. You’ve still got songs to sing and think of me when you do it.”

Tom continued to share how Linda’s sense of humor acts as a source of strength for him now. “She loved jokes, and I used to make her laugh a lot. Now, she gives me strength. When she passed away, I thought I was gonna crumble,” he confessed. The thought of losing Linda almost led him to abandon his career altogether, a decision that weighed heavily on his heart.

“I almost packed it in. I didn’t think I could sing anymore because you can’t get too emotional when you sing; your voice won’t come out,” he explained. Recalling his struggle, Tom advises newcomers in the industry to channel their emotions into their performances. “Take the emotion and work it into the song, but don’t get too involved with it; otherwise, you’ll cry and won’t be able to sing.”

Just this past June 7, Tom celebrated his 85th birthday, marking the milestone by sharing a special concert performance on his YouTube channel. He took to Instagram, expressing his excitemen“I’m celebrating my 85th birthday this Saturday! I’m thrilled to be sharing a very special concert performance – ‘Live on Soundstage 2017’ for the first time on my YouTube channel. Join me at 6pm (18:00 BST) for fun, live music, and the fantastic Alison Krauss as my musical guest. See you then!”

Moreover, Tom is set to appear in a new series of the BBC’s In My Own Words. Reflecting on this experience, he stated, “Taking the time to look back at some of the extraordinary things that have happened in my life for In My Own Words has been really enjoyable and thought-provoking.” He noted how the archival footage brought back cherished memories, including a visit to his first home, expressing gratitude for his journey so far. “I hope everyone enjoys watching it as much as I did making it!”