Tom Jones has sold his Beverly Hills mansion and quit the US
The Voice coach and friend of Elvis couldn't bare to live there after his wife's death
A heartbroken Tom Jones has finally sold his Los Angeles mansion. On the market since April last year, the plush pad in Mulholland was home to Tom and his beloved wife Linda for nearly two decades. But when Linda died in April 2016, poor Tom found the house held too many painful memories and couldn’t bring himself to stay.
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Image credit: Sotheby’s International Realty
‘That was our house in LA. I didn’t feel comfortable there any more,’ Tom told the Sunday Mirror. ‘[Linda] wanted to come back to Britain, she was always homesick. Then she got sick and we couldn’t do it. She would have loved to have come back but we left it too late.’
The exterior of the property is typical of homes in the area, with an outdoor swimming pool, palm trees, and manicured lawns.
Image credit: Sotheby’s International Realty
The spacious gardens, spread over half an acre, are decked out with a statement water fountain and stone sculptures, and the views across the rolling hills are incredible.
Image credit: Sotheby’s International Realty
Step inside £6.5 million villa, however, and you’ll see that the Joneses really knew how to make a statement. From the living room to the dining room, the kitchen to the bathroom, an ongoing theme of leopard print decorates the floors, walls, and furniture.
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Image credit: Sothebys International Realty
Huge leopard print rugs cover the living room, dining room, and foyer, while a matching carpet runs up the spiralling staircase. Throughout the property, sofas and chairs have been covered with the plush fabric, while matching cushions and lampshades add a finishing touch.
Even the bathrooms have a splash of leopard print on its towels and flannels! The animal theme continues with ornaments of gazelles, giraffes, and dogs, and the walls are chock-a-block full of framed pictures of animals and other wildlife.
Image credit: Sothebys International Realty
The Welsh singer and star of The Voice bought the five-bedroom, seven-bathroom compound in 1998 for £2.1 million. Nineteen years on, and worth more than three times the price, the property was on the market with Sotheby’s International Realty.
Image credit: Sotheby’s International Realty
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As Linda decorated the entire place herself, it’s easy to understand why Tom couldn’t face living there alone. But there is a happy ending to the story. ‘Apart from the photographs and some artwork, the man who bought it wanted the whole thing, furniture and everything,’ says Tom. ‘This was great for me because I wouldn’t have been able to put all that stuff into a flat.’
Perhaps the new owner plans to turn it into a Graceland-style shrine to the Welsh rock-and-roll god? We can only hope…
