Tom Jones cancels concert, cites ‘dehydration’
FILE - In this June 11, 2011 file photo, Welsh singer Tom Jones is seen at the Isle of Wight music festival. Jones has canceled a concert in Monte Carlo, saying doctors diagnosed him with severe dehydration and ordered him not to take the stage. The Saturday, Aug. 28, 2011 concert was to have been 71-year-old singer's final show of a 3-month "Praise & Blame" tour. (AP Photo/Joel Ryan, file)
LONDON >> "Sex Bomb" singer Tom Jones was recovering in a Monaco hospital Sunday, saying "severe dehydration" forced him to cancel a concert in the glamorous principality.
The longtime star, famed for his swivel-hipped appeal and soulful voice, apologized to his fans on his website and emphatically denied British press reports that he had suffered a heart scare that forced him to cancel his Monaco concert Saturday night.
"There are NO heart problems, as has been reported in the press," the singer’s website stated.
Jones, a 71-year-old Welshman who burst to international fame in 1964 with "It’s Not Unusual" and other hits, blamed his illness on a long successful tour "where many of the shows were in locations that were in the throes of high summer heat."
The website statement indicated that Jones had no choice but to make a rare cancellation: "Sir Tom was ordered by doctors not to perform in Monte Carlo yesterday evening due to severe dehydration," the statement read. "This was extremely disappointing for Tom, the band and all connected with the tour."
Saturday’s canceled show was to have been the finale of his 3-month "Praise & Blame" tour.
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A spokesman for the Princess Grace Hospital in Monaco told The Associated Press that Jones was admitted to the hospital Saturday night and was doing well Sunday. There was no word on when Jones would be released.
Jones, whose charisma onstage earned some comparisons to U.S rocker Elvis Presley, made his singing debut at three. He appeared in hundreds of clubs and dance halls before his breakthrough series of hits catapulted him to some of the world’s finest venues, with repeated shows at Las Vegas’ glitzy hotels and casinos.
At the peak of his fame, and for decades afterward, adoring women near the front of the audience would shower him with their underwear as a sign of devotion.
Jones held onto his sexy image for decades, only recently agreeing to perform and be photographed without touching up the gray in his hair and beard.
In his statement, the apologetic crooner thanked fans for their understanding and support.
Jones plans a short tour of central and eastern Europe beginning in November.
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Greg Keller in Paris contributed to this report.
