Billy Joel has opened up about his recent health struggles, sharing his suspicion that years of heavy drinking could have played a role in his newly diagnosed brain condition.
It comes after the 76-year-old singer cancelled all his scheduled concerts, including a show in Edinburgh and Liverpool, after announcing that he was diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH).
The statement shared on Joel’s Instagram account in May also revealed that the condition appeared to have been exacerbated by recent performances, leading to problems with hearing, vision and balance.
Speaking to Bill Maher on the Club Random Podcast, the Piano Man star gave an update on his recovery and reiterated that he’s doing well.
“I’m good,” he said.
Adding: “It’s not fixed, it’s still being worked on. I feel fine, my balance sucks. It’s like being on a boat.”
According to the NHS website, NPH is an uncommon and poorly understood condition that often affects people over the age of 60 and can be difficult to diagnose as its symptoms include mobility problems and dementia, which are associated with more common conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease.
He told Maher that he does not know what caused the condition and that, despite not drinking anymore, he thought it might have been caused by that.
“Nobody knows. They don’t know. I thought it must be from drinking. I don’t anymore, but I used to like a fish,” the Uptown Girl singer explained.
“They keep referring to what I have as a brain disorder, so it sounds a lot worse than what I am feeling.”
Joel’s recent health issues forced him to miss the premiere of his two-part documentary Billy Joel: And So It Goes at the Tribeca Film Festival in June.
Speaking at the screening in his absence, co-director Susan Lacy reassured the audience that the music legend “will be back.”
“Billy wishes he were here tonight, and he asked us to convey his greetings to you all,” she said. “He said, ‘Getting old sucks, but it’s still preferable to getting cremated.’”
The hitmaker also addressed public concern in a previous health update, making it clear he’s not facing a terminal diagnosis.
During a June appearance of The Howard Stern Show on SiriusXM, Stern shared an update after dining with Joel, telling listeners: “He does have issues, but he said, ‘Yeah, you can tell people, I’m not dying.’”
The New York-born singer is best known for songs including Uptown Girl, Tell Her About It and An Innocent Man and has achieved five UK top 10 singles and eight UK top 10 albums.
Since beginning his career in the mid-1960s, Joel has won five Grammy Awards and been nominated for 23, and was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame by one of his heroes, Ray Charles, in 1999.
