NEWS

Published Sep 09, 2025, 12:00 PM

Updated Sep 09, 2025, 03:30 PM Edino Abdul Hadi The Straits Times

SINGAPORE – After his wife died in 2021, getting onstage and performing helped him cope, says veteran British singer Engelbert Humperdinck.

“I lost my darling,” the 89-year-old pop balladeer famous for 1960s hits Release Me and The Last Waltz tells The Straits Times in a Zoom interview from his home in Bel Air, Los Angeles. 

“And I find that singing and playing to audiences around the world releases something from me, it takes away the thinking.”

His wife, British actress Patricia Healey, died at 85 of heart failure after battling Alzheimer’s disease and Covid-19. The couple, who have four adult children, were married for 57 years.

“But since I’ve lost her, I’m reading the lyric of a song differently. There’s more heart in it, there’s more soul in it. I’m playing a lot better because she’s watching over me.”

“I don’t know when it’s time to hang up my hat, but at the moment, my voice is good and strong. I don’t want to sit at home and do nothing.”

In a career that kicked off in the mid-1950s, Humperdinck has released 42 albums and sold over 140 million records globally. His latest album, All About Love (2023), comprises renditions of classic love songs such as When Will I See You Again and If You Don’t Know Me By Now.

His music has seen a resurgence in popularity in recent years, thanks to its use in popular streaming television shows. A Man Without Love (1968) was featured in Marvel miniseries Moon Knight (2022), and Quando Quando Quando (1968) in the third season of Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy (2019 to 2024).

“Well, you’ve got to get lucky with that. I’ve had audiences that consist of young, middle-aged and old people. But after Moon Knight, I saw a lot of very young faces in the audience, and I think they came to see what an Engelbert Humperdinck show was all about. And I guess they liked it because they were right in front, shaking my hands, and it was quite thrilling.”

Humperdinck is also adept at using social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook to communicate with fans. For example, he has a regular video series called Tuesday Museday, in which he talks about his activities for the week.

And he keeps up to date with modern pop music by watching reality singing shows like The Voice (2010 to present), keeping tabs on the singers who appear on them.

“And if I like something, I’ll mention it to my recording manager and say, ‘Listen, why don’t we try this song or something like that.’”

His 2025 world tour, which spans Europe, the United States and Asia, includes a stop in Singapore at The Star Theatre on Nov 3. He last performed here at the same venue in 2019.

Local fans will get to hear his greatest hits, a set list that has been “tried and tested around the world”. 

“I’m looking forward to going back to Singapore because it has been a few years since I’ve been there, and it’s such a wonderful part of the world. I love it because it’s so clean, and I love shopping there.”

Despite the title of the show – Engelbert Humperdinck’s Last Waltz Farewell Tour – he says he has no plans to retire.

Book It/Engelbert Humperdinck’s Last Waltz Farewell Tour – Singapore

Where: The Star Theatre, 04-01 The Star Performing Arts Centre, 1 Vista Exchange Green
When: Nov 3, 8pm
Admission: From $78 via BookMyShow, go to 

str.sg/b6rH

https://www.straitstimes.com/life/entertainment/singer-engelbert-humperdinck-89-on-touring-after-wifes-death-shes-watching-over-me