Tom Jones’ wife of 59 years Lady Melinda Woodward has died of cancer

Hanna Flint

Tom and Linda Jones (Picture: Getty)

Sir Tom Jones says his wife of 59 years, Lady Melinda Rose Woodward, has died after “a short but fierce battle with cancer’.
The singer had recently cancelled the entire leg of his Asian tour after Linda had taken ill, and she passed away on Sunday in Los Angeles.
The tragic news was announced via Jones’ Facebook page and it read:

Sir Tom Jones’ wife of 59 years, Lady Melinda Rose Woodward, passed away Sunday morning, April 10, after a short but fierce battle with cancer. Surrounded by her husband and loved ones, she passed away peacefully at Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles.
Sir Tom and his family have asked for privacy at this difficult time and no further information is currently available.

Singer Tom Jones with his wife Linda, posing outside their home in Glamorgan, Wales, July 20th 1967. (Picture: Express/Archive Photos/Getty Images)

Tom’s management had originally denied that the postponed gigs were due to his wife’s illness, though it’s not the first time the couple have been confronted by cancer.
In the former Voice judge’s autobiography, he revealed that Linda had experienced two cancer scares, and as a heavy smoker had developed emphysema.
Tom married Linda in 1957, when they were both 16, and they remained together for nearly six decades despite his well-publicised infidelities.

(Picture splash news)

Tom and Linda in 1987 (Picture: REX/Shutterstock)

For much of the last few years, Melinda has lived a private life and has rarely been seen out in public.
‘She thinks she has lost her spark. And she doesn’t like the way she looks, that’s why she’s not fussy on going out. She said it,’ her husband told the Sun.
Tom also said in the past that he would no longer be able to sing or perform if his wife died.

Tom with his wife Linda after arriving from France in 1965 (Picture: Getty)

Tom and Linda in London, 1965 (Picture: ZUMAPRESS.com)

‘She’s the most important thing in my life,’ Sir Tom said. ‘An unbelievable woman.
‘Linda is the love of my life and she still is, even though she doesn’t look like she did. I don’t look like I did, either, but I try my best.’