Understandably, Billy Joel has remained pretty tight-lipped about the brain disorder he was diagnosed with in 2025 that forced him to cancel all upcoming shows.
At the time, he said that the condition, known as Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH), was being treated with physical therapy, but he’s now confirmed that he’s undergone surgery in a bid to improve it.
NPH is caused by excess fluid building up in the brain’s ventricles. This leads to greater pressure, which compresses brain tissue and can lead to issues with hearing, vision and balance.
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When Joel announced that he’d been advised to take a break, it was widely assumed that his performance schedule was making the condition worse, and he’s now confirmed this while speaking on SiriusXM’s Billy Joel Channel.
“The doctors told me 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 explained. “It was causing damage to my brain nerves and I could be losing more brain cells the more shows I did and I realised that means I shouldn’t be doing this right now. I got to improve. They don’t want me to stress too much.”
Joel went on to admit that he was reluctant to go ahead with surgery, which involved the fitting of a device called a ‘brain shunt’, which helps to drain the excess fluid away, but ultimately decided that it was the best way forward for him.
“I read up on it and I realised it can help improve your balance and can help your memory,” he said. “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 and it actually improved things. My memory got better, my balance got a little better, my ability to function was better.”
All of which is great to hear, though 77-year-old Joel still isn’t committing to any kind of permanent return to the stage. He did make a comeback of sorts earlier this year when he surprised fans by playing two of his songs with a Billy Joel tribute band, but he hasn’t performed any full-length gigs of his own.
He does want to reassure his fans that he’s on the mend, though. “I’m OK,” he says. “I want people to know, don’t worry about me. I’m still here.”
