Music icon Tom Jones said he feared he was dying after paramedics rushed him to the hospital last week.
The 86-year-old “What’s New Pussycat” singer made a triumphant return to the stage Wednesday night at Los Angeles’ Greek Theatre, telling the audience he had been hospitalized with pneumonia at UCLA Medical Center.
“I thought this was it — you had a wonderful life, Tommy, but it’s over now,” Jones told the crowd.
What initially seemed like the flu quickly developed into pneumonia. “Then they had to get the paramedics in, and I was like, ‘I can’t breathe,’” Jones recalled of the frightening ordeal.
He was taken to UCLA, where he spent two days in the intensive care unit. “UCLA did a wonderful job, so I’m here,” he said.
After a week in the hospital, doctors asked Jones what he wanted to do next. His answer was immediate: “I have to get back on the stage, that’s where I belong.” The declaration prompted a loud reaction from his devoted fans.
Jones also reminisced about his first performance at the Greek Theatre in 1969 before launching into his first No. 1 hit, “It’s Not Unusual.”
“This song really changed my life,” he said.
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Jones’ Los Angeles concert was originally scheduled for Oct. 26 at the Greek Theatre but was postponed until Wednesday night.
“I’ve had a great time these last few weeks, completing 20 shows and singing for wonderful audiences across the USA, but unexpectedly I’ve been hit with a bad case of the flu,” Jones wrote in a post.
In front of a sold-out crowd, the singer performed some of his biggest hits, including “Sex Bomb,” “She’s a Lady” and “Delilah.”
Jones is currently on his “Come Gather Round” tour.
The North American leg began Sept. 18 in Highland Park, Illinois, following the worldwide tour’s launch in England in June.
He is scheduled to perform Friday at Yaamava Resort and Casino in Highland, California.
Jones was knighted by the late Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace in 2006.