Crooner War! How Sir Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck's Furious 60-Year Feud Is Still Exploding
Engelbert Humperdinck and Tom Jones started as label mates before becoming bitter rivals.
Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck have been locked in a bitter feud for 60 years, and there is no end in sight.
RadarOnline.com can reveal Humperdinck fired the latest shot in their bitter battle when he sniped at Jones' current ability to perform.
Jones and Humperdinck posed for photos together in 1967.
Humperdinck said in an interview: "I think he's lost his voice. I don’t think he's got it anymore."
After hearing the quote from his rival, Jones fired back: "There’s nothing friendly about him and I. He's a p****, quote me on that."
He added: "We fell out years ago. He’s tried, but I won’t talk to him."
Their feud reportedly began around 60 years ago when both were signed to the same manager as well as Decca Records and began releasing hit songs.
Jealousy was sparked when their songs reached the charts, and each wanted to outdo the other.
Humperdinck lobbed the latest insult at Jones' ability to perform earlier this year.
But it wasn't just their battle on the music charts that put the pair at odds; it was also their heartthrob status and attention from women.
One of Jones’ former girlfriends claimed Humperdinck flirted with her in 1979.
When she told her former lover about Humperdinck's behavior, she said he just "sat there in stony silence".
She added: "I am sure there was good old-fashioned jealousy there. They competed against each other for everything."
Humperdinck, 88, claimed he contacted Jones, 84, when his wife of 59 years, Linda, died in 2016 at 75 years old.
The Welsh-born Jones reportedly did not respond to the British crooner's attempts at kindness.
Jones has called Humperdinck dirty names in the press.
Humperdinck dismissed Jones' insults, saying: "It doesn’t bother me—the only person it hurts is himself... If you can’t say anything good about someone, don’t say anything."
Jones was a little more succinct in his thoughts towards Humperdinck, claiming, "Once a c***, always a c***", regarding his enemy.
Humperdinck's comments about Jones' career come as he admits years in the music business have taken a toll on his health, particularly his hearing.
He said: "Music has deafened me over the years.If I'm in a room where there's a lot of people, I can't hear you.
"I've been in the business a long time–now people like Rod Stewart (79) and Elton John (77), we all have to wear hearing aids after a while.
"When I first started, they weren't perfected. Now it's like being in a recording studio, you hear the music really, really well."
Humperdinck is still adding shows to his farewell tour.
While he may be forced to use hearing aids, he claimed his youthful appearance was due to "good genes" and not Botox or plastic surgery.
He said: "My parents had no wrinkles when they were very old."
In late 2023, Humperdinck announced he was prepping for his farewell tour while Jones was on his Ages & Stages Tour.
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