Legendary British singer Tom Jones enjoyed such crazy love from his fans that they did not hesitate to throw underwear on stage during his performances. And often the artist allowed himself to succumb to temptation, starting fleeting intrigues. However, systematic betrayal did not prevent him from staying in his first and only marriage for almost 60 years. Although Jones did not spend much time with his wife, he took her death in 2016 hard.
Early marriage and the path to fame
Tom Jones was born in the small village of Treforest in South Wales. Here he met his future wife Melinda Trenchard when they were both only 15 years old. An important role in the fateful meeting was played by heavy rain: Linda and Tom collided when they intended to hide from the downpour in a telephone booth. After several months of relationship, it turned out that the teenagers will soon become parents.
This news was the main reason for such an early marriage. The lovers were married on March 2, 1957 at the age of 16. Just a month later, they had a son, Mark Woodward, who became the couple's only child. To provide for his wife and baby, the head of the family worked in a glove factory and at a construction site. However, since childhood, Tom's main passion was singing. He performed with pleasure at family celebrations, and was a soloist in the school choir. Since the future artist did not like study and sports, music was the main and only outlet for him.
In 1963, Tom joined a local music group, becoming its lead singer. Once, during a performance in a club, the successful manager Gordon Mills, who was promoting young artists, drew attention to the singer's bewitching baritone. He ended up in Wales by accident, having stopped by for a few days in his native places, and returned to London not alone, but accompanied by Tom. It was Mills who came up with a sonorous pseudonym for the singer, taking advantage of the excitement around the recently released 1963 film "Tom Jones".
Very quickly, the artist achieved international success, presenting the audience with the composition It’s Not Unusual. And in 1965, Jones' popularity soared to unattainable heights when several of his hits came out in a row. In 1966, the young singer received the prestigious Grammy Award for Best New Artist. Having visited Hollywood for the first time, he met his idol Elvis Presley. A friendly relationship began between them, which lasted until the death of the "king of rock and roll" in 1977. And even after his death, Tom continues to warmly communicate with Presley's widow Priscilla.
Unfaithful husband
One of the books on Jones's biography provides information that the singer began to cheat on his wife after three years of marriage. His first hobby was Jill Beezer, 15, from Wales. At that time, Tom sang in a musical group and turned the head of a new girlfriend with promises to devote his songs to her. True, it did not come to a serious relationship among young people, because once Jill accidentally saw her boyfriend on a walk with her little son.
As the popularity grew, Jones' infidelity multiplied, becoming the property of the public and the tabloids. One well-known publication estimated that at the peak of fame, about 250 women visited his bed in a year. However, the singer himself found it difficult to answer a direct question from journalists about the number of casual relationships, since “he never kept counts”. According to the entourage, the lawful wife chose the tactics of silence from the very beginning. She did not arrange for her husband to be interrogated and was not interested in his life on the tour. Although several times Linda still gave vent to feelings of resentment, indignation and indignation.
Once, while visiting the city of Bournemouth, Jones, without embarrassment, settled with Mary Wilson, the lead singer of the popular group The Supremes. Upon learning of this, his deceived wife came to her husband. Although the singer managed to hide the traces of another woman from her, Linda looked unhappy and cried in front of her husband's manager.
The next time the woman's nerves broke down when numerous publications reported on Tom's romance with 19-year-old beauty queen Marjorie Wallace. The artist admitted that when they met, Linda pounced on him with fists. Then he did not resist or try to fight her back. “I deserve it,” Jones stated calmly.
In addition to the women mentioned, the singer was seen in novels with several other famous ladies. For example, he had a fleeting relationship with TV presenter Charlotte Lowes. And the actress Cassandra Peterson, known for the film "Elvira: Lady of Darkness", admitted that Jones became her first man, although this experience left the young girl the most negative impressions.
The only woman
For many years, Tom and his wife existed practically offline. Since the late 60s, Linda has rarely accompanied her husband on tour. After the family moved to Los Angeles, she preferred to be permanently in the family mansion in Beverly Hills. The singer once noticed that his wife communicates with her attendants more often than with him. According to the couple's entourage, of the 59 years of their marriage, the spouses spent about 10 years together.
Incidentally, in his autobiography, Jones did not want to mention information about romances with other women. “I don’t think it’s important,” the singer commented on his decision. In addition, in this book, he called Linda "the only woman for him." The artist admitted that he had never felt such feelings for anyone else.
His wife passed away on April 10, 2016 in Los Angeles after a “short but fierce” battle with lung cancer. At a difficult moment, the singer was supported by his son Mark Woodward, who has been working as his father's personal manager for many years. By the way, the popular artist has one illegitimate child - the son of Jonathan Berkury, who was born from an affair with the model Catherine Berkury. Despite the fact that the woman was able to prove the artist's paternity using a DNA test, Jones never showed interest in the fate of his second son and never met him personally.
