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has shared the poignant last words his late wife, Melinda 'Linda' Trenchard, said to him before she died from cancer. The couple tied the knot in 1957 and remained together until Linda's death in 2016. The singer, 85, reflected on the final moments he spent with his wife as he sat by her side in hospital. Speaking on BBC's Sounds of the 60s with Tony Blackburn, the musician shared the advice Linda gave him in her last moments.

He said: "When my wife knew that she had terminal cancer, I was with her for the last 10 days in hospital in the room with her. She said, 'Look I gotta leave, but you don't fall with me. I'm going down, I know, there's nothing I can do about it but don't you do that.'" The 'She's a Lady' crooner revealed how Linda's brave face in the wake of her illness left a profound impact on him, urging him to continue with his career. He recalled: "She told me, 'Don't you fall with me, you've got to keep going, you've got to get on stage. You've still got songs to sing and think of me when you do it'."

The Welsh-born star also shared how Linda's sense of humour now strengthens him as she urged him to keep going once she had died.

"She loved jokes and I used to make her laugh a lot. Now, she gives me strength as when she passed away I thought I was gonna crumble," he said. In a heartbreaking confession, Tom admitted Linda's death almost caused him to give up on his career.

He detailed "I almost packed it in. I didn't think I could sing anymore because you can't get too emotional when you sing because your voice won't come out." This is what I say to singers now, you take the emotion and then you work it into the song, get it through, but don't get too involved with it because then you'll cry and you won't be able to sing."

(June 7) and marked the occasion by sharing a concert performance on his YouTube channel.

He wrote on Instagram: "I'm celebrating my 85th birthday this Saturday! and am thrilled to be sharing a very special concert performance - 'Live on Soundstage 2017' for the first time on my YouTube channel. Join me at 6pm (18:00 BST) for fun, live music and the fantastic Alison Krauss as my musical guest. See you then!".

Tom is also set to feature in a new series of the BBC's In My Own Words.

Of the experience, he said: "Taking the time to look back at some of the extraordinary things that have happened in my life for In My Own Words has been really enjoyable and thought-provoking.

"Some of the archive I'd not seen before, and watching snippets of those past times, places, styles, and struggles brought home how lucky I am. Being able to spend the day in the first house I ever owned brought back so many memories... I hope everyone enjoys watching it as much as I did making it!"