Billy Joel insists he’s not ‘deathly ill’ despite ‘scary’ health diagnosis
22 July 2025, 11:20
The ‘Piano Man’ singer had to cancel all his performance plans earlier this year as a result of his health.
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Billy Joel has issued another plea for fans not to worry about his health.
The ‘Uptown Girl’ singer was diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) earlier this year, and has had to temporarily retire from performing as a result.
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NPH is a treatable brain condition which affects a patient’s hearing, vision and balance, but the 76-year-old is hoping he will be able to recover and perform again in the future.
Speaking with People magazine recently, Billy echoed previous statements he has made about his health by stressing how he wants fans to know that his condition is not fatal.
“I know a lot of people are worried about me and my health, but I’m okay,” he said.
“What I have is something very few people know about, including me, no matter how much you try to research it,” he admitted, but added: “I’m doing my best to work with it and to recover from it.”
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While admitting he found his diagnosis “scary” and “disturbing” at first, he emphasised: “I just wanted to let people know [I’m okay], don’t worry about me being deathly ill or anything.”
Billy similarly spoke about his health during a recent interview with Bill Maher on his Club Random podcast.
“I feel fine,” Billy shared, when Bill commented that he looked well. “They keep referring to what I have as a brain disorder, so it sounds a lot worse than what I’m feeling,” he added.
The famous musician admitted he has been struggling with some of the symptoms of his NPH, however, notably how it has affected his balance.
“My balance sucks. It’s like being on a boat,” he described, admitting his condition is “not fixed yet."
“It’s still being worked on,” he added.
Ever since announcing his NPH diagnosis in May, Billy has clearly been anxious to keep fans updated with his progress.
After being forced to cancel his planned shows, the singer said: “I’m sincerely sorry to disappoint our audience, and thank you for understanding."
His team’s statement finished: “[Billy] is grateful for the support from fans during this time and looks forward to the day when he can once again take the stage.”
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In June 2025, the singer’s friend Howard Stern shared a message from Billy on his The Howard Stern Radio Show.
“I saw Billy Joel two weeks ago, we had dinner together,” he told listeners.
“He’s doing fine. He does have issues, but he said: ‘Yeah, you can tell people: I’m not dying,’” he added.
