Billy Joel has spoken about his brain disorder diagnosis – see what he had to say below.
At the end of May, Joel was diagnosed with the brain disorder normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH). Joel subsequently cancelled all of his upcoming tour dates – including his headline UK shows, and his daughter Alexa Ray has shared he’s “entirely committed to making a full recovery with ongoing physical-therapy treatments as he continues to regain his strength”.
Now, Joel has appeared on Bill Maher’s Club Random podcast to discuss his brain disorder. It marks his first time publicly discussing the illness. Speaking to Maher, Bill shared that he currently feels “fine” but his “balance sucks”, likening it to “being on a boat”. “It’s not fixed, it’s still being worked on,” he added of the condition.
When asked what causes the disorder, Joel shared: “Nobody knows. They don’t know. I thought it must be from drinking. I don’t anymore, but I used to like a fish.”
Bill Maher mentioned that Joel looks good despite the diagnosis, prompting the Piano Man to respond: “I feel good. They keep referring to what I have as a brain disorder. It sounds a lot worse than what I’m feeling.”
The pair then went on to discuss Joel’s music and career at length – check out their brief discussion of his health at the start of the podcast below.
Besides the cancellation of all live dates, Joel’s diagnosis has also caused him to miss the premiere of his two-part documentary Billy Joel: And So It Goes at the Tribeca Film Festival in early June.
Speaking about Joel’s absence, documentary co-director Susan Lacy assured the audience at the premiere that “he will be back”. “Billy wishes he were here tonight, and he asked us to convey his greetings to you all,” she continued. “He said ‘getting old sucks, but it’s still preferable to getting cremated.’”
Elsewhere at the Tribeca Film Festival, fest co-founders Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal spoke about the legendary musician in their opening remark, with De Niro noting: “He’s our piano man, a wonderful, beautiful part of the heart of our city. Tonight, you get to see the man behind the music and behind the legend. You’re in for a real treat.”
Joel has insisted “I’m not dying”, with his friend Howard Stern recently saying: “He’s doing fine. He does have issues, but he said, ‘Yeah, you can tell people: I’m not dying’. You know, he wants people to know that.”
