Sir Tom Jones revealed that a recent health scare had him fearing the worst.
At a Wednesday, Nov. 4, concert in Los Angeles, the "It's Not Unusual" singer, 86, shared that a nasty upper respiratory infection in July forced him to postpone a concert in Germany. He explained the severity of the illness, adding that he believed his life was "over," according to the BBC.
"Oh well, this is it, you've had a wonderful life, Tommy, but it's over right now," Jones told the crowd at the Greek Theatre, per the BBC.
The infection prompted the "Voice UK" alum to spend a week at the Ronald Regan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles and either cancel or reschedule additional shows, BBC reported.
"I must say this, in the UCLA, they really did a wonderful job. So
I'm here," he said, per BBC.
When the medical staff there asked what he wanted to do after his weeklong recovery, he said, "I've got to get back on the stage. This is where I belong. I can't live without this, believe me."
USA TODAY has reached out to Jones' representatives for comment.
Tom Jones was fired from 'The Voice UK' before health scare
After 14 seasons as an original coach on "The Voice UK," Jones has left the reality singing competition and made it clear the decision was not his.
"To be clear, I did not want to leave 'The Voice,' as I love the show and really appreciate the audience. ITV made this decision – obviously a while ago, and I was told just recently," he wrote in a Tuesday, Sept. 8, Instagram post. "They now say in the press they wanted to 'refresh' the show, and with a new coaching line-up there wouldn’t be a chair for me."
The Welsh singer said his exit was due to a "financial difficulty with insurance" and said producers offered him a "much-reduced role where I would make an appearance but without being actually involved from the start," but clarified he's "not thrilled about that."
"So the only thing I know right now is that there’s never a good time to fire an 86-year-old who’s still pretty good at his job," he added.
In statements to Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter, an ITV spokesperson said: "We have loved working with Sir Tom Jones over the past nine years on The Voice UK. While he will no longer be a full-time coach on series 15, we continue to talk to Sir Tom and his team about his involvement in the next series."
Throughout his 14-year tenure, he's won the series three times, including Season 1 with Leanne Mitchell in 2012, Season 7 with Ruti Olajugbagbe in 2018 and Anthonia Edwards for Season 11 in 2022.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tom Jones, 86, says he feared life was 'over' after recent health scare
