Melinda Rose Woodward passed away on Sunday morning at Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles after a “short but fierce battle with cancer”, according to an official statement posted on Tom Jones’ Facebook page.
“Surrounded by her husband and loved ones, she passed away peacefully,” the statement read.
Recently, the singer had issued an apology to fans after pulling out a series of concerts in Japan, Thailand, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates due to a “serious illness” in the family.
Sir Tom and Melinda (known as Linda) were married for 59 years. The two were childhood sweethearts, having first met at the age of 12 in their hometown of Pontypridd in Wales.
“I was in love with her when I had TB [tuberculosis] when I was 12, and I would be thinking, ‘oh my god, let’s get this TV over with so I can hold her,’” he revealed in an interview with the BBC last year.
Tom, Linda and their son Mark are pictured moving into their new Surrey home in 1967. Photo: Getty
“So I really ached, you know. When they say heart ache, I physically ached.”
The pair were wed in 1957 at the age of 16, and together they weathered many ups and downs throughout their 59-year marriage. The couple have one son together, Mark, who acts as Tom’s manager.
Melinda had previously endured two separate cancer scares, and in her later years, she rarely left her Beverly Hills home. However, the depth of their relationship was clear whenever Tom spoke about his wife in interviews.
“She is an unbelievable woman,” he told the Sunday Times magazine last year.
“She’s the most important thing in my life. All the rest is just fun and games.”
