Watch Billy Joel surprise fans with first performance since brain disorder diagnosis
5 January 2026, 11:51
The ‘Piano Man’ returned to the stage with his daughters on Friday.
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Billy Joel has got 2026 off to a great start by performing for the first time since his brain disorder diagnosis.
The ‘Uptown Girl’ singer revealed he had been diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) in May 2025, cancelling all of his future performing plans at the same time in order to receive treatment.
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“Billy is undergoing specific physical therapy and has been advised to refrain from performing during this recovery period,” his team’s statement at the time explained, adding that performing had been “exacerbating” his symptoms.
So, it was a wonderful surprise for fans of the ‘Piano Man’ artist when Billy took to the stage for the first time since February 2025 on Friday (January 2).
Watch Billy Joel's performance here:
Billy Joel, We Didn't Start the Fire, Wellington Amphitheatre, Wellington, FL. January 2, 2026
The 76-year-old joined a Floridian cover band called the Turnstiles to play two songs: ‘We Didn’t Start the Fire’ and ‘Big Shot’.
“I wasn’t planning on working tonight,” Joel quipped to the crowd as he got to the stage, local paper the Palm Beach Post reported.
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Joel and the cover band he joined were at an event to celebrate the village of Wellington, Florida’s 30th birthday.
The singer – who owns property in the area – might have looked a little frail as he got to the stage, but was still a natural performer once he got sat centre stage by the keyboard.
His young daughters Della and Remy and a friend also joined Joel and the Turnstiles on stage to dance as they performed, making the show even more meaningful as a family celebration.
NPH can cause problems with hearing, vision and balance, as well as memory loss which sufferers can mistake for the early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.
Therefore, it was great to see Billy able to take to the stage and perform some of his back catalogue again while he continues to receive treatment for his NPH.
