Billy Joel shares health update after brain disorder diagnosis

Billy Joel is providing an update on his health two months after announcing he was diagnosed with a brain disorder.

The “Piano Man” singer, 76, sat down with Bill Maher on the comedian’s “Club Random” podcast in an episode released on Monday, July 21. Joel, who in May said he has been diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus, said he is feeling “fine” but having issues with his balance.

“My balance sucks,” he said. “It’s like being on a boat.”

The singer continued, “I feel good. They keep referring to what I have as a brain disorder, so it sounds a lot worse than what I’m feeling.” Joel also said he initially thought his balance issues were from drinking, noting that he used to drink “like a fish.”

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When Maher asked Joel if his health issues were fixed, though, the Grammy winner noted, “It’s not fixed. It’s still being worked on.”

According to the Cleveland Clinic, normal pressure hydrocephalus occurs when fluid buildup disrupts brain function, and symptoms can include cognitive difficulties.

In May, Joel canceled his upcoming concerts due to the diagnosis. A statement shared on his Instagram said that his condition “has been exacerbated by recent concert performances, leading to problems with hearing, vision, and balance.”

“Under his doctor’s instructions, Billy is undergoing specific physical therapy and has been advised to refrain from performing during this recovery period,” the statement said. “Billy is thankful for the excellent care he is receiving and is fully committed to prioritizing his health. He is grateful for the support from fans during this time and looks forward to the day when he can once again take the stage.”

At the time, Joel also told fans that he was “sincerely sorry to disappoint our audience.”

Billy Joel documentary premieres after health diagnosis

Since then, the first part of an HBO documentary about Joel, “Billy Joel: And So It Goes,” premiered on July 18, with the second part set to debut on July 25.

Radio host Howard Stern previously relayed a health update on Joel in June, telling listeners that he had dinner with the singer, who seemed to be doing well.

“He does have issues, but he said, ‘Yeah, you can tell people I’m not dying,'” Stern said on June 3. “He wants people to know that. He’s just go to deal with some medical stuff.”

Billy Joel feels ‘good’ after brain disorder diagnosis

Getty Images A bald man in a black t-shirt and black dinner jacket is performing on a piano, with a microphone pointed towards him. His mouth is open and smiling, with a crowd behind him, lit by spotlights.

Billy Joel says he is feeling “good”, two months on from announcing his diagnosis with rare brain condition Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH).

Speaking on Bill Maher’s Club Random podcast, the five-time Grammy winner said his condition was “still being worked on”, and he was struggling with his balance.

“I feel good, they keep referring to what I have as a brain disorder, so it sounds a lot worse than what I’m feeling,” said the singer-songwriter.

Joel was forced to cancel a series of concert dates in May this year, after his doctors told him that his condition had been “exacerbated by recent performances”.

Billy Joel Not 'Deathly Ill' After Brain Condition Diagnosis (Exclusive)

NPH is described by the NHS as an uncommon and poorly understood condition that most often affects people over the age of 60.

The condition causes a build-up of fluid in the brain, which can affect hearing, vision and mobility.

In the original statement shared on the 76-year-old singer’s Instagram, Joel was said to be undergoing “specific” physical therapy for his condition, and that he was “fully committed to prioritising his health”.

His wife, Alexis Joel, wrote in a separate post that the family were “grateful for the wonderful care and swift diagnosis we received”, and that they were hopeful for a swift recovery.

Joel called off 17 planned performances in North America and Europe across 2025 and 2026, including stadium shows at Murrayfield in Edinburgh and Anfield in Liverpool.

Michael Putland/Getty Images A man is looking directly at the camera, with a lot of frizzy dark hair. He is wearing a blue striped button down shirt with a black jacked, and he's standing in front of a wall of framed awards. — Billy Joel pictured in his New York home in January 1978

Joel, who’s known for hits including Uptown Girl and Piano Man, has regularly been on tour in recent years. He ended a record-breaking decade-long residency at Madison Square Garden in New York last year.

His final performance was in February 2025, when he fell on his back during his performance after throwing a microphone stand into the crowd.

He announced a postponement of his tour shortly afterwards, citing a medical condition that required him to undergo physical therapy as part of his recovery from a recent surgery.

Billy Joel’s Wives: A Look at the Singer’s Past Relationships and Current Marriage

Billy Joel has been married four times to Elizabeth Weber, Christie Brinkley, Katie Lee and his current wife Alexis Roderick

Christie Brinkley and Billy Joel ; Alexis Roderick and Billy Joel

Singer Billy Joel has had a fiery love life.

Throughout his career, the “Piano Man” vocalist has been married four times. His ex-wives include Elizabeth Weber (1973–1982), Christie Brinkley (1985–1994) and Katie Lee (2004–2009).

In July 2015, he wed his current wife, Alexis Roderick, with whom he shares two daughters: Della and Remy Anne Joel. The rocker also shares one child, Alexa Ray Joel, with Brinkley.

Although Joel has kept his relationships private, the Grammy winner shared a sweet tribute on Instagram in July 2022 to honor his and Roderick’s 7th wedding anniversary. “13 years together 3 dogs, 2 kids, 1 marriage and so much love ♥️Happy 7th Anniversary♥️,” he captioned photos of them together.

Most recently, the two-part documentary Billy Joel: And So It Goes premiered at the Tribeca Festival on June 4, which revealed a behind-the-scenes look at the singer’s personal life away from the stage. In the film, debuting on HBO in July 2025, Weber opened up about the start of their romance.

It was released shortly after Joel revealed he was diagnosed with a rare brain condition that caused him to cancel scheduled concerts.

Here’s a look back at Billy Joel’s dating history.

Elizabeth Weber

Joel and Weber met in the 1970s when she was in a relationship with Joel’s bandmate, Jon Small. In the documentary Billy Joel: And So It Goes, Joel recalled moving in with Weber, Small and their son. After “spending a lot of time together,” the pair started an affair.

In Billy Joel: The Definitive Biography, Joel shared about his relationship with Weber. “She wasn’t like a lot of the other girls I knew at that time who had taken home ec and cooking classes,” he told author Fred Schruers. “She was . . . intelligent and not afraid to speak her mind, but could also be seductive. Almost like a European-type — not a typical American girl.”

Joel and Weber’s affair eventually came to light, leading to their first breakup.

“I felt very, very guilty about it. They had a child. I felt like a homewrecker,” he said in Billy Joel: And So It Goes. “I was just in love with a woman and I got punched in the nose which I deserved. Jon was very upset. I was very upset.”

The couple later rekindled their relationship and married in 1973; Weber became Joel’s manager. In 1982, the pair filed for divorce. Still, Weber doesn’t mind looking back at that period of her life.

“It was great then, it’s great whenever I think about it, and it’s great now,” she told PEOPLE at the documentary’s Tribeca Film Festival premiere.

Christie Brinkley

Joel and model Brinkley first met in St. Bart’s in 1983. He told Rolling Stonethree years later,”The music was the key to the introduction. She sat down and started singing, too.”

The couple married in the spring of 1985 and welcomed daughter Alexa Ray in December of that year. Joel opened up about his admiration for Brinkley to Rolling Stone.

“What bothers me is when because of what she looks like and what she does for a living, people fall back on the stereotype of her as being a dumb blonde — which she definitely is not,” he said. “They say ‘supermodel’ like that’s supposed to mean she’s vapid and shallow — which she’s not.”

However, the marriage did not last. Joel and Brinkley had split by Thanksgiving of 1993 and divorced in the spring of 1994. He shared with The New Yorker in 2014 that when they went their separate ways, it was difficult for him to create new music.

“Everybody interrogating, analyzing — everything I wrote was fraught with meanings,” Joel explained. “And I said, ‘Wait a minute, I don’t want to rip myself open and let everyone see everything.’ It was no longer comfortable. Enough! I gave you enough!”

Today, the two are on good terms. Brinkley shared with Social Life magazine in 2019 that they have maintained a friendly relationship, which includes singing together.

“Many years after our divorce, Billy would still come to my house for the Christmas sing-along and play the piano, and all our friends would come over and sing Christmas carols,” she said.

Daughter Alexa Ray shared a poignant Instagram post in July 2022 with a photo of the trio together. “They’ll never know you like I do, Mom and Pop…🕊you will always be, first and foremost, the true loves of my life,” she wrote in the caption. “Just seeing you in the same room together every once in a while makes my heart whole again, if only for a fleeting moment.”

Katie Lee

Joel and Lee, a cookbook author and food critic, met in 2002 when they bumped into each other at the Peninsula Hotel.

This led to drinks at the bar, according to New York Magazine. The couple began dating and married at his Long Island home in October 2004.

Less than five years later, they released a statement confirming their split. “This decision is a result of much thoughtful consideration. Billy & Katie remain caring friends with admiration and respect for each other,” it read.

Lee went on to wed TV producer Ryan Biegel in September 2018.

Alexis Roderick

Joel met Roderick, an equestrian and former executive at Morgan Stanley, in 2009.

The Emmy winner told The New Yorker that he introduced himself to Roderick at a restaurant in Huntington, N.Y., and couldn’t take his eyes off her. Joel got her number and called her from across the restaurant, asking if she could give him a ride home. She obliged, and they started dating shortly afterward.

The couple married in an unexpected ceremony on July 4, 2015, at Joel’s Long Island estate. The performer’s spokeswoman told PEOPLE that he and Roderick “surprised guests at their annual July 4th party by exchanging vows in front of their family and close friends.”

The wedding was attended by 40 people and was officiated by former governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo. Roderick was pregnant with the pair’s first daughter, Della, during the ceremony.

Joel and Roderick are now parents to two daughters. They welcomed Della Rose in August 2015 (one month after they married) and daughter Remy Anne in October 2017.

Roderick and the kids accompanied Joel during his Australian tour in 2022. Two years later, the whole family made a rare appearance at the Grammys. After Joel announced that he had been diagnosed with a rare brain condition, Roderick shared a statement on his Instagram.

“Thank you for the outpouring of love and support. We are so grateful for the wonderful care and swift diagnosis we received,” it read. “Bill is beloved by so many, and to us, he is a father and husband who is at the center of our world. We are hopeful for his recovery. We look forward to seeing you all in the future.”

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