Recovering from wife's death hardest thing ever: Tom Jones

Image
Press Trust of India London
Last Updated : Jun 06 2016 | 11:13 AM IST
Welsh singer Tom Jones says recovering from the death of his wife, Linda, is the "hardest thing" he has ever done.
The 75-year-old singer was left devastated when Lady Melinda Rose Woodward, who was known as Linda, lost a short battle with cancer in April and he was close to tears as he discussed how he cancelled a string of concerts in order to be by her side during her last days, reported Female First
"It's very difficult, the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. We were married for 59 years, we knew each other since we were kids. It was fast, she had cancer," Jones said.
"I was in the Philippines, that was when I got the call, that it was terminal. I had to stop. So I flew back to Los Angeles and she had a week left, in the hospital," he added.
The couple married when they were just 16 and had son Mark, now 59, together and despite the "It's Not Unusual" hitmaker's womaniser reputation, he insists Linda was the "most important thing" in his life.
In an interview at the Hay Festival in Wales, he said, "[I knew] she'd always been very important to me, always. Now I realise that she might have been the most important thing in my life. I realise even more now, how important she was to me."
Despite rumours of a string of affairs, Tom insisted his marriage was never in jeopardy.
He wept as he said, "No. Never. Never crossed my mind; it didn't cross her mind. It was solid. We had a solid marriage that nothing could shake and we both felt that.
"I felt very lucky to have fallen in love at an early age. We were teenagers. We fell in love, not just in lust. A lot of teenagers fall in lust and then it doesn't last. But we knew this thing was forever, for as long as we would be alive. That's how strong the marriage was," he said.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Jun 06 2016 | 11:13 AM IST

Next Story