Melinda Rose “Linda” Woodward and Sir Tom Jones originally met when they were both quite young. They embarked on a wonderful adventure together and experienced a love that will last a lifetime. Unfortunately, this adventure had to end, just like any other journey.
To know more about their ill-fated romance, keep reading.
The age difference between Sir Tom Jones and Melinda Rose “Linda” Woodward was only seven months. Both were 12 years old when they first met, but it wasn’t until the age of fifteen that the famous singer asked Linda out on a date.
To meet her, since he was so in love with her, Tom planned his trips to the store to coincide with hers. As for Linda, she was the target of several suitors.
In a later chapter of his book, “Over the Top and Back: The Remarkable Autobiography from a National Treasure,” Tom said he was lucky to be alive at the right time. He also beat all the other rivals because Linda liked him too, however, he mentioned one man who gave him intense competition.
“And luckily, she seems to be as interested in me as I am in her, so it’s going pretty smoothly between us without too much angst and heartache,” he added of the situation.
Even before their relationship became serious, Tom was madly in love with Linda. Tom still felt the pain of not seeing Linda when he was bedridden with tuberculosis. He claimed: “Even when I was 11 or 12 years old, I felt this individual’s chest ache. I longed to be with this person. To see this girl, I couldn’t wait to get out of bed.”
Linda informed Tom that she missed her period when they were both around 15 years old. At first, he believed she was simply late, but it turned out she was pregnant. Linda was not yet 16 and therefore could not legally marry, although Tom wished to marry her immediately.
The couple faced other obstacles in their decision, such as the lack of a place to live after marriage.
When Linda was 16, their families approved of their marriage. After marriage, they separated and lived with their parents.
On March 2, 1957, a relatively straightforward ceremony took place in a plain room. The musician and his wife were not in the hospital on the day the baby was born. He called twice to ask where he was and on the second call received the following message: “Congratulations, your wife has given birth to a baby boy.”
Later he went after the child and brought some fruit for Linda.
Tom remembers the first time he held his son with great love. He had a strong flood of feelings that he had never experienced before. Their son was named Mark Woodward.
In his song “The Road”, released in 2008, Tom Jones acknowledged that he is a “ladies’ man” in real life. However, he emphasizes that he always returns home to his wife.
The singer was said to entertain fans and young women who vied for his attention. The artist’s work was well known. He also admitted to sleeping with more than 250 women in a single year while he was a lothario.
But Linda endured everything. Tom said in an interview that their marriage trumped everything else. She said, “Look till you come home to me,” so neither she nor I ever wanted to be apart.
Tom stated in an interview that they were still deeply in love with each other after 60 years of marriage.
Being a romantic at heart, the singer even kept the phone box where he and Linda made out passionately at the end of their Treforest street. He stole it and placed it next to his pool in Los Angeles after learning that she liked to have it removed.
When Tom was on tour or filming shows like “The Voice” in London, the couple would be apart for months at a time. Linda tried to remain low-key and avoid the limelight, while her husband was the target of media attention and was a very well-known figure.
Jo Mills, the widow of Tom’s late manager Gordon Mills, says she thinks Linda would happily cooperate if Tom asked her to be engaged to his wife. “I think from the very beginning Linda felt like she shouldn’t exist in his life,” Mills said. He’s a nice, warm person, so it’s sad.
Jones revealed in his autobiography that Linda had emphysema and was agoraphobic. He also revealed information about her long-term depression.
Tom claimed that Linda had lost her spark and stopped acting and looking like herself. However, she remained Tom’s most significant influence.
Linda had previously battled cancer twice in 2014 and the disease took her life in 2016. Tom said she passed pretty quickly because the lung cancer was discovered so late.
Jones warned his son that if Linda left, he would no longer be able to sing during one of her early cancer scares. His son Mark replied that in response to this sentiment, they would have to ensure Linda’s survival.
The family knew that Linda’s third diagnosis would be her final one, and she was well aware that her time on earth was running out. In an emotional exchange with his wife, Jones recalled saying, “Linda, you know this cancer is incurable, right?… You know, I have no idea what I’m going to do. There is no other life that I can see.
But she made Tom and Mark commit to living together. She urged them to continue to flourish in her honor and memory. Tom reported that she said, “You have to do it. We can’t fall together. You don’t have to follow me, I have to go. Go on, you have to. You can sing anyway. You have to guarantee me.”
Before her diagnosis, she had a strong desire to return to the UK. She asked Tom to fulfill her wish. Later, Tom fulfilled this dream by selling his house for $7.1 million and returning to the UK.
On April 10, 2016, Linda died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Her battle with cancer was short but intense.
Jones was devastated by her death and left feeling aimless. “She was a part of me and I was a part of her,” he said. Then a piece of me perished with her. I have been trying to fight back and reclaim my sense of wholeness for some time now.
He claimed to hear or see her in bed, but when he opened his eyes, she was not there.
Tom claimed that he would never be able to get married again and that he was not interested in dating. Tom and Priscilla Presley, Elvis Presley’s ex-wife, were united after Linda Presley died. He clarified the situation by saying that they are just friends who sometimes go out to eat.
As for his profession, Hector Jones admits it was challenging to resume music when Linda died, but his son and daughter-in-law supported him. “Look, if you don’t sing anymore, you’ll die, you’ll just shrivel up and die,” they are said to have remarked to Tom. Would you like to do this?
Tom was back on the road four weeks after Linda died. He claimed that acting was easier for him because he imagined Linda with him.
He still finds it difficult to sing the tunes his late wife loved. But the musician says that music gives him comfort and that he is sure that his wife would want him to continue making songs. According to him, “music saves my life”.
To fulfill her last request, he also moved back to London. Since Linda was diagnosed with cancer, it was too late for her to return, so Tom decided to move in with her.
He said the move was planned and he didn’t feel comfortable living in the house he shared with Linda. “That was our home in Los Angeles. There was no place I felt comfortable anymore. Linda, who was often homesick, wanted me to come back to Britain,” he claimed.
Since Linda had furnished it, he decided to sell it along with all the furniture, finding that Linda’s designed home felt depressing without her. Tom now lives alone near his son and grandchildren in the UK.
Tom’s decision to move back to the UK, as Linda wished, allowed him to be close to his son and grandchildren. Although he lives alone, the memories of his life with Linda are ever-present, and her love continues to guide and inspire him.
The love story of Sir Tom Jones and Melinda Rose “Linda” Woodward is a story of steadfast love, enduring community, and the healing power of music. Despite life’s trials and tragedies, their love remained a source of strength and inspiration. As Tom continues to keep Linda’s memory alive through his music and life, their love story remains etched in the hearts of those who witnessed their extraordinary bond.