Sir Tom Jones and Melinda Rose “Linda” Woodward first connected when they were both still fairly young.
Together, they embarked on an amazing journey and fell in love for all time.Just like any other journey, this one had to come to an end.
Continue reading to learn more about their predestined relationship.
Melinda Rose “Linda” Woodward and Sir Tom Jones were just seven months apart in age. While they had been friends since they were 12 years old, the famous singer didn’t ask Linda out until they were 15 years old.
Tom would time his trips to the shop to coincide with hers, hoping to meet her since he was so infatuated with her. Regarding Linda, she had a number of suitors.
Tom stated that he was fortunate to have been alive at the appropriate time in a later chapter of his book, “Over the Top and Back: The Remarkable Autobiography from a National Treasure.”. Because Linda liked him too, he also prevailed over all of his other competitors. He did, however, name one opponent who posed a serious challenge.
She appears to be as interested in me as I am in her, so things between us go fairly smoothly and without too much stress or heartache, he continued.
Tom was deeply in love with Linda even before their friendship turned into something more serious. While confined to his bed and suffering from tuberculosis, Tom continued to feel pain when he was unable to see Linda. He stated, “Even when I was 11 or 12 years old, I felt a pain in my chest for this person. I was so desperate to be with this person. I was eager to get out of bed so I could see this girl.
When they were both about 15, Linda told Tom she had missed her period. At first he thought she was just late, but she was pregnant. Linda wasn’t quite 16 years old yet. Tom wanted to marry her right away, but she was ineligible to get married legally.
The lack of a place to live after marriage was one of the additional challenges the couple faced in making their decision.
When Linda turned 16, their families were in favor of their marriage. They split up after getting married and each lived with their own parents.
A fairly simple ceremony took place in a plain room on March 2, 1957. On the day of the baby’s birth, the musician did not accompany his wife to the hospital. He made two calls to find out where she was, and on the second call he heard the following: “Congratulations, your wife has given birth to a baby boy. ”.
Later, he ran into the kid and brought Linda some fruit.
Tom remembers with great affection the first time he held his son. Never before had he felt such a powerful flood of emotions. The name Mark Woodward was given to their son.
Tom Jones acknowledged that, in real life, he is a “lady’s man” in his song “The Road,” which was released in 2008. But he emphasizes that he always goes home to his wife.
The activities of the artist were well known. Young women vying for his attention and groupies were amused by the singer. Additionally, he admitted to being a lothario who had more than 250 women for sex in a single year.
Tom claimed in an interview that their marriage won out over everything else. While Linda persevered through it all. She and I shared the desire to stay together. As long as you come back to me,” she continued.
They had been married for 60 years, according to Tom, who claimed in an interview that they were still incredibly in love.
Being a romantic, the singer kept the phone box at the end of their Treforest street, where he and Linda would kiss passionately. When he learned that the council planned to have it removed, he stole it and placed it next to his pool in Los Angeles.
When Tom was on tour or in London filming for shows like “The Voice,” the couple used to be apart for months at a time. While her husband was the subject of media attention and was a well-known figure, Linda tried to keep a low profile and stay out of the spotlight.
Jo Mills, the widow of Tom’s late manager Gordon Mills, asserts that she believes Linda would have happily complied if Tom had asked her to be engaged to his wife. She is a warm and welcoming person. Consequently, it is depressing. According to Mills, Linda was made to feel as if she couldn’t be a part of his life from the start.
Linda had emphysema and was agoraphobic, Jones revealed in his autobiography. He also revealed details regarding her protracted depression.
According to Tom, Linda had lost her personality and had stopped acting and appearing like herself. To be sure, she was still Tom’s biggest influence.
Cancer claimed Linda’s life in 2016. She had battled the illness twice in 2014 before it struck again. Tom claimed that because the lung cancer was found so late, she passed away quickly.
During one of Linda’s early cancer scares, Jones warned his son that if Linda passed away, he would no longer be able to sing. It was to this sentiment that his son Mark replied, “They would have to make sure Linda’s survival.”.
Jones remembers telling his wife about their terminal cancer during an emotional conversation. The third diagnosis Linda received would be her final one, and she was aware that her time on earth was shortening. My plan of action is unknown, as you can see. I am unable to perceive any other life.
Tom and Mark were forced to promise to continue living by her, though. In her honor and memory, she encouraged them to keep thriving. She allegedly said, “You’ve got to do it,” according to Tom. Together, we cannot crumble. You are not required to follow me; I must leave.
You must continue.
But you can still sing. If you could assure me of it, that would be helpful.
She had a strong desire to go back to the UK before being diagnosed. She asked Tom to grant her request. By selling their $7,012,000 home and moving back to the UK, Tom eventually fulfilled this dream.
The Los Angeles Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is where Linda passed away on April 10, 2016. Her battle with cancer was short but fierce.
She had left Jones feeling lost and devastated by her passing. She was a part of me, and I was a part of her, he said. A part of me eventually died along with her. For a while now, I’ve been making efforts to push back and reclaim my sense of wholeness.
He asserted that while asleep, he would hear or see her, but when he awoke, she would not be there.
Tom had ties to Elvis Presley’s ex-wife Priscilla Presley after Linda Presley passed away. Tom asserted that he was unwilling to date and that he could never be married again. He explained the situation, saying they were just friends who occasionally went out to eat.
Regarding his line of work, Hector Jones admits that after Linda passed away, it was difficult to pick up his music again, but his son and daughter-in-law helped him. They supposedly said to Tom, “Look, if you do not sing again, you will die; you will just shrivel up and die.”. Would you like to carry out that action?
Four weeks after Linda’s passing, Tom was back on the road. As a result of picturing Linda alongside him, he claimed that performing was simpler.
He still struggles to sing the songs that his late wife enjoyed. The musician, however, asserts that he finds solace in his music and that he is certain that his wife would want him to keep writing songs. He claimed that “music is saving my life. ”.
He also moved back to London to fulfill her last request. Linda couldn’t move because she had cancer, so Tom made the decision for her.
The move, he claimed, had been planned because he did not feel comfortable living with Linda in their shared house. We lived there in Los Angeles. There was nowhere left where I could feel at ease. He said Linda, who frequently felt homesick, wanted me to go back to Britain.
He decided to sell it, along with all the furniture that Linda had furnished it with, since he had discovered Linda’s designed home, one free of her depression. Near his son and grandchildren, Tom now lives alone in the UK.
We send Tom Jones and his family our best wishes. Please share this with other singing enthusiasts so they can learn more about the talented artist!