Billy Joel shares health update amid brain disorder: ‘I know people are worried about me’

Leigh BlickleyThu, October 1, 2026 at 4:41 PM UTC

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Billy Joel in 2024Credit: Kevin Mazur/GettyKey Points -

Billy Joel shared a health update with fans.

The music legend said his brain disorder “sounds worse than it actually is.”

He also opened up about how performing affects his health.

Billy Joel wants fans to know he’s okay amid his brain disorder diagnosis.

The music legend, 77, shared a health update on SiriusXM’s The Billy Joel Channel on Wednesday, Sept. 30, after a listener called in with a question. After discussing his song “Captain Jack,” Joel shot down some misconceptions about his battle with normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), which is a build-up of fluid on the brain that can affect memory, movement, thinking, and concentrating, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

“I know people are worried about me because they read that I have a brain disorder, which sounds a lot worse than it actually is,” Joel said. “I’m okay. My balance isn’t that good. Lost a little bit of my hearing, but that may have to do with my age, too, and the rock and roll life and the loud volume probably didn’t help. But I’m fine. I want people to not have to worry about me. I’m okay.”

Joel originally shared his diagnosis in May 2025 after he canceled his slate of concerts. The condition is exacerbated by performing, and his team shared it was “leading to problems with hearing, vision, and balance.”

Hence why the “Piano Man” singer has been taking a break from the stage, and recently underwent brain shunt surgery, which his medical team said would mitigate his symptoms.

“I read up on it and I realized it can help improve your balance and can help your memory,” Joel said on SiriusXM earlier in September. “You know, I don’t want to lose my marbles. It’s hard to tell what’s age and what’s a condition, so I agreed to do the shunt, and I had a surgery, and they implanted a shunt in my brain.”

So far, Joel said he’s noticed improvements with his health. “My memory got better, my balance got a little better, my ability to function was better,” he admitted.

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However, it doesn’t sound like he’s making a return to the stage anytime soon as he’s prioritizing physical therapy and rest to ensure a healthy lifestyle.

“I realized, and the doctors told me this, because of my job, which is playing rock and roll music very loud, that it was giving me something like a concussion every time I did a show,” he said on the radio show last month. “It was causing damage to my brain nerves and I could be losing more brain cells the more shows I did and I realized that means I shouldn’t be doing this right now. I gotta improve.”

Billy Joel and his familyCredit: Billy Joel/Instagram

Joel added doctors “don’t want me to stress too much,” and he’s “doing whatever it is they tell me to do because I don’t want to lose [the ability to perform]. So, I’m always testing myself.”

For now, Joel is spending time at home with his wife, Alexis Roderick, and their children, Della Rose, 11, and Remy Anne, 8. He also shares adult daughter Alexa Ray with ex-wife Christie Brinkley.

“I love all of my girls. And poetic justice, I had all girls, of course, but I’m really enjoying this a lot. It’s something I was looking forward to all my life, and here I am,” Joel told PEOPLE in 2025, adding, “I didn’t have a dad, so it was very important for me to be a dad.”

on Entertainment Weekly

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”