In the summer of 2022, fans across Europe waited eagerly for Sir Tom Jones to appear on stage in Budapest. But just minutes before showtime, an emergency message shook the audience: the 82-year-old legend had collapsed and was rushed to the hospital. Rumors of a heart attack spread like wildfire.
The truth? Even more alarming.
Tom had been battling viral laryngitis—a throat infection that nearly robbed him of his voice. Doctors warned him: one more show could cause permanent vocal damage. For a man who had spent over 60 years using that unmistakable baritone to bring crowds to tears, the diagnosis was nothing short of devastating.
This wasn’t the first time his health made headlines. Just months before, in 2022, Tom underwent his second hip replacement surgery, after years of chronic pain. He had previously joked about using “inversion therapy” — hanging upside down like a bat — to delay surgery. But even that couldn’t hold off the pain.
And yet, Tom came back.
Within weeks of the laryngitis scare, he returned to touring, astonishing fans with a stronger, richer voice. His explanation? “I don’t sing in the same key anymore… but I feel the emotion more deeply now.” That emotional depth made even Luciano Pavarotti call him “the voice of a lifetime.”
Now at 85, Tom Jones is still touring — and still defying the odds. But 2022 was the year he nearly disappeared from the stage forever.