'Not a dry eye in the house': Sir Tom Jones puts on a brave face at his first public performance since the death of his wife Linda as he gives emotional talk at Hay Festival 

  • Fans broke down in tears as Sir Tom spoke about his wife Melinda in Wales
  • Singer was discussing his new autobiography Over the Top and Back
  • Sir Tom said losing his wife was 'hardest thing' he's ever had to experience
  • Hit-maker also regaled audience with tales of his life in show business 

Fans broke down in tears as Sir Tom Jones made his first public appearance since the death of his wife at the Hay Festival.

Sir Tom was at the literary celebration at Hay-on-Wye in Wales, on Sunday, to discuss his new autobiography Over the Top and Back.

The singer sat on stage with GQ editor Dylan Jones to tell his audience about the book which offers an insight into his glittering career in show business over six decades. 

Back to work: Sir Tom seemed emotional as he made his first public appearance since her death 

Back to work: Sir Tom seemed emotional as he made his first public appearance since her death 

Support: Sir Tom was seen dabbing his eyes with a tissue
And thanked the audience for their support

Emotional: Sir Tom was seen dabbing his eyes with a tissue, and thanked the audience for their support

Sir Tom, whose sparkling catalogue of hits includes 'It's Not Unusual' and 'Delilah' almost broke down in tears when he discussed the passing of his wife Melinda.

Lady Melinda Rose Woodward better known as Linda, passed away on April 10 following a brief cancer battle - she had been married to her husband for 59 years.

Sir Tom told the audience: '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.' 

Sir Tom Jones
Sir Tom Jones

Overcome: The entertainer became tearful when discussing the death of Linda, his wife of 59 years

Reflective: The singer said his childhood sweetheart had been 'the most important thing in his life'

Reflective: The singer said his childhood sweetheart had been 'the most important thing in his life'

He added that after she had died, he realised his wife may had been the 'most important thing in his life'.

The childhood sweethearts met aged 12 in Sir Tom's home town of Pontypridd and married when they were both just 16. They had one child together, Mark, 59, who now works as his manager.

The singer often described her as the 'love of my life', despite his infamous infidelity and affairs over the course of their marriage.

The emotional discussion struck a chord with audience members, with one tweeting: 'Not a dry eye in the house #tomjones #hayfestival,' whilst another added: 'Tom Jones, what a nice man #HayFestival.' 

However, while there was a sombre note to the talk, Sir Tom also regaled his audience with entertaining tales from his glamorous life in the spotlight. 

RIP: Tom's wife Lady Melinda Rose Woodward, better known as Linda, passed away with her husband of 59 years at her side on April 10 following her brief cancer battle (pictured in 1987)

RIP: Tom's wife Lady Melinda Rose Woodward, better known as Linda, passed away with her husband of 59 years at her side on April 10 following her brief cancer battle (pictured in 1987)

He spoke of his humble beginning singing in working men's clubs in Wales to meeting Elvis, getting advice from Frank Sinatra and dealing with hecklers. 

Recalling meeting Sinatra and Elvis he told the crowd: 'Elvis said to me ‘we don’t record songs with [jazz] standards, we leave that to Frank Sinatra’. 

'Then with Sinatra, he’d say ‘forget the rock ’n’ roll. Elvis was trying to pull me one way, Sinatra was trying to pull me another.'

Emotional: Tom's tales had the audience in tears as they struggled to keep their emotions in check

Emotional: Tom's tales had the audience in tears as they struggled to keep their emotions in check

New fan: The discussion struck a chord with audience members who tweeted about the event 

New fan: The discussion struck a chord with audience members who tweeted about the event 

He also discussed why he felt now was the right time to write his book.

Sir Tom said: 'I thought I’d live a bit first. I thought after 50 years, maybe now is the time to talk about it. 

'I was lucky enough to be born in south Wales, and I wanted to tell people how important that part of my life was.' 

 

 

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