The woman at the center of the bitter, long-running feud between two aging crooners has confirmed that Englebert Humperdinck dropped his pants when he was alone with her.
Charlotte Laws, who was dating Humperdinck’s great rival Tom Jones at the time, said the bold move came after she resisted The Hump’s advances.
‘I guess you would say he pulled a Bill Clinton, as far as what Bill Clinton did to Paula Jones – he dropped his pants,’ Laws, 64, told DailyMail.com in an exclusive interview.
The author, TV host and journalist said the incident occurred backstage around 1980 after she saw Humperdinck’s show at the MGM Hotel in Las Vegas.
‘He was patting the sofa for me to come and sit next to him,’ Laws said.
‘And so I went in and I sat next to him and we talked for a little bit, and then he tried to kiss me and I said, “I have really strict morals”.’
Charlotte Laws and Tom Jones dated for three years after they met at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas when she was 17, through her sheer will to meet him
Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck were two of the biggest heartthrobs of the 1960s and performed together until a public feud more than 40 years ago – reports stated it was because Humperdinck made a move on Laws
Humperdinck recently denied claims that he hit on her, but Laws revealed the singer ‘pulled a Bill Clinton’ and attempted to kiss her – before pulling down his pants
‘And he said, “Oh, I respect that very much” – which I didn’t really believe, but that’s what he said.
‘And then he just got up and he dropped his pants.’
Laws’s comments came after Humperdinck, now 88, told DailyMail.com that the falling out with Jones was not over a woman – but he refused to say what brought it on.
‘The real reason Tom Jones and I fell out – I can’t tell you,’ he cryptically told DailyMail.com in November.
‘It’s nothing to do with women or the business, it was something else and I just don’t want to talk about it because I don’t think it’s suitable to talk about,’ he added.
But though Laws said she is not the cause of the singers’ 44-year feud, the incident happened – and that Humperdinck’s intentions were unmistakable.
Laws, who was dating Jones at the time, said the incident occurred backstage around 1980 after she saw Humperdinck’s show at the MGM Hotel in Las Vegas
Laws maintained that the former iconic duo’s feud had already been ongoing for decades when Humperdinck tried making a pass at her
‘Engelbert said he didn’t make a pass at me. That’s just not true. So that’s all I was saying.
‘And I’m also not the cause of their dispute because that was decades, at least a decade or two decades before I ever came into the picture.
‘They were already feuding way before 1980 or whenever this was.’
The rivalry between the two legendary singers – both known for their powerhouse voices and legions of passionate fans some of whom got so excited they would throw their panties on stage – has long been the subject of speculation, with rumors of jealousy and resentment swirling around their shared career trajectories.
‘Tom never talked about Engelbert at all,’ Laws explained.
Humperdinck was intensely bothered by his perception that Jones was favored by their mutual manager Gordon Mills (center), Laws explained
Laws said Humperdinck was jealous of Jones’ (pictured) career. Their rivalry had been a subject of speculation by fans and sparked rumors of jealously and resentment
‘And Engelbert was so passionately upset about Tom that you couldn’t even mention the name.’
Humperdinck was intensely bothered by his perception that Jones was favored by their mutual manager Gordon Mills, Laws explained.
‘Engelbert was jealous and angry, and he felt like Tom was getting more attention, not only career-wise, but also from Gordon Mills
,’ she said.
‘So I just kind of think that he was jealous of Tom’s career and just felt like he wasn’t getting enough attention from his manager as well.
‘And I feel like his attempt to get back to tell the media – “I just want to patch it up, I want to be friends again” – I think it’s Engelbert simply wanting to get a boost from Tom’s career. I don’t believe he’s sincere. That’s my guess.’
The two men are forever linked thanks to their parallel careers. Both were managed by Mills who suggested they change their names to find fame.
Gerry Dorsey chose the moniker of an obscure German composer while Thomas Woodward picked the far simpler name from a Henry Fielding novel.
Tom had the greater success with smash hits like It’s Not Unusual and What’s New Pussycat?, but Engelbert wasn’t far behind on both sides of the Atlantic with songs including Release Me and The Last Waltz.
Both were sex symbols with long-standing marriages, Tom married Linda Trenchard aged 16 when she became pregnant, and Engelbert tied the knot with Patricia Healey in 1964.
Sadly, both are now single again. Linda died of cancer in 2016 while Patricia died the following year after a long battle with Alzheimer’s.
Humperdinck was allegedly so upset at Jones that if anyone on his team mentioned his rival’s name, they would be fired
Charlotte Laws with Tom Jones in 2010. The talk show host described herself as a ‘very picky person’, but said she was interested in Jones since she was nine years old
Laws, who dated Jones – now 84 – for three years, said her relationship with the Delilah singer was like a ‘Cinderella story’ for her.
‘I am a very, very picky person,’ she explained. ‘I hardly ever like anybody, but I was very interested in Tom, believe it or not, starting when I was nine years old.
‘I had seen interviews that he had done on The Tonight Show and various TV shows and read various articles. I just really felt like I would get along with him.’
When she was 16, she decided to take action after reading that Jones’s favorite performer was Jerry Lee Lewis.
‘I didn’t even know who Jerry Lee Lewis was, but he was performing in Atlanta at the Great Southeastern Music Hall,’ she said. ‘So I decided to go. So that was my first gatecrashing experience.’
After sneaking into the concert, Laws was taken backstage by Lewis’s friend where she was encouraged to pursue her dream of meeting Jones.
The talk show host said: ‘He just totally gave me confidence.’
Laws said she feels that Humperdinck’s comments in the media that he’d like to once again befriend Jones is an attempt ‘to get a boost from Tom’s career’
Laws said she reflects on her time with Jones with fondness. ‘It was very exciting. Tom is a total sweetheart’
A year later, when Laws was 17, she spent a week in Las Vegas at Caesars Palace to be closer to Jones, even going so far as to bribe the bellhop for information about his routine.
‘I had this showgirl costume, and I waited in the hallway at the right time, and I heard Tom’s voice,’ she recalled.
‘He was flirting with me and talking to me. That was my first time really having a conversation with him.’
Their connection deepened when Laws made another effort to meet him in Fort Lauderdale – eventually leading to a backstage meeting and dinner invitation.
‘Tom remembered my name. He remembered a lot of stuff that we talked about in Vegas,’ Laws shared. ‘We dated for three years. And I was totally in love with him.’
Laws, who now shares daughter Kayla Laws, 37, with longtime husband Charles Parselle, reflects on her time with Jones with fondness.
‘I definitely felt a lot better when I started dating the guy of my dreams. It was very exciting. Tom is a total sweetheart.’
