Music legend Tom Jones has revealed he believed his life was over after being admitted to hospital with flu last month.

The 86-year-old was admitted to the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Centre in Los Angeles, where he ultimately spent a week recovering.

Jones return to the stage at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on Wednesday night (local time) and admitted he seriously thought he would not survive the illness.

“I thought, ‘Oh well, this is it. You’ve had a wonderful life, Tommy, but it’s over right now’,” the singer told fans after being forced to cancel or reschedule several concerts.

“I must say this, in the UCLA, they really did a wonderful job. So I’m here.”

“The medical staff said: ‘What do you want to do now?’. I was in there for a week. And I said, ‘I’ve got to get back on the stage’. This is where I belong. I can’t live without this, believe me.”

The Delilah singer took to social media in late October to announce the cancellation of two shows in the UD leg of his Come Gather Round tour.

“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,” he said.

“Following doctor’s advice, I unfortunately have to reschedule tonight’s show in Los Angeles and tomorrow’s show in San Diego.”

Jones had been on The Voice panel since its 2012 debut. Photo: ITV

Jones recently made headlines after revealing he was fired from the coaching panel of reality show The Voice UK after 14 years with the show.

Following rumours that he may not return to the panel for the upcoming series, Jones said in September that broadcaster ITV decided to offer him a reduced role “because of a financial difficulty with insurance”.

Jones was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2006 for his services to music.