The legendary Tom Jones shared a poignant detail about his late wife’s ashes during his first stint of living solo after more than half a century of wedded bliss.
In 2021, as the voice behind ‘It’s Not Unusual’ found himself residing in a flat close to the iconic Houses of Parliament in London, a stark change that occurred five years following his beloved Linda’s passing. The couple shared an impressive 59 years of marriage.
Tom reportedly made the transatlantic shift from Los Angeles back to British soil with one special request to his son to secure a view of “the wheel”. Firmly by his side, even posthumously, was his cherished partner, Linda.
During a virtual conversation with journalist Kate Mossman, who described the touching moment in a new book, Tom revealed through Zoom the resting place of his wife’s ashes, just over his shoulder, reports The Times.
With palpable affection, he revealed: “She’s in my bedroom, in a beautiful box. A modern box with a modern design on it, which I’m sure she would like. Whatever the wife wants!”
The loss of Tom’s spouse, Melinda Trenchard, dealt a devastating blow in 2016 following her fight with lung cancer. At the time, a statement on Tom’s official website said she had “passed away peacefully” in the presence of her family and her superstar husband.
Yet, this moment came after the fears Tom expressed just a year earlier in his autobiography, ‘Over the Top and Back’, where he disclosed concerns over a “major operation” his wife faced, fearing it might lead to her loss.
He penned: “Linda was ill a while ago and needed surgery. And she got through it. But it was a major operation, and I had to wonder whether I was going to lose her. I was as worried as I have ever been.”
Tom also reflected on Linda’s enduring presence in his life, noting: “It came home to me how she’s been part of me through my whole adult life.”
Further, he pondered the significance of their bond, saying: “Even though I’ve toured for years and been away for months, she has always been there. And if she weren’t…well, surely that’s it for me.”
The couple met when they were both 12 years old in Treforest, Pontypridd, with Tom and Linda meeting each other at a phone box after they started dating when they were 15. Tom highlighted the Welsh rain as the reason for needing shelter.
Previously recounting to the BBC, Tom disclosed that he fell for Linda at age 12, captivated every time she walked past his window while he was confined to bed with tuberculosis.
The couple exchanged vows back in 1957, being just sweet 16, and, in a heartfelt nod to where their love story sparked, subsequently transported that very phone box from Wales to their Los Angeles abode.