Billy Joel shares health update after undergoing brain surgery
Billy Joel shares health update after undergoing brain surgery
Carsen HoladayThu, October 1, 2026 at 6:16 PM UTC
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Billy Joel has issued a health update after announcing last month that he underwent brain surgery (AFP/Getty)
Billy Joel is issuing a health update after a recent brain surgery for the disorder he was diagnosed with last year.
The legendary musician, 77, shared a message Wednesday on SiriusXM’s The Billy Joel Channel, addressing fan concerns regarding his brain condition, normal pressure hydrocephalus, which he was diagnosed with in 2025.
“I know people are worried about me because they read that I have a brain disorder, which sounds a lot worse than it actually is,” Joel said, according to Entertainment Weekly.
“I’m okay. My balance isn’t that good. Lost a little bit of my hearing, but that may have to do with my age, too, and the rock and roll life and the loud volume probably didn’t help. But I’m fine.”
He added: “I want people to not have to worry about me. I’m okay.”
The “Piano Man” singer announced his diagnosis in May 2025 after canceling a series of upcoming concert dates.
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He revealed last month that he underwent surgery for the brain disorder, which can cause problems with vision, hearing and balance.
After initially refusing to have a shunt implanted in his skull to remove the excess fluid caused by the disorder, Joel said he changed his mind after researching the ways that the procedure could help his symptoms.
“I didn’t want to do that, but then I read up on it and I realized it can help improve your balance and can help your memory,” Joel said on the radio show earlier in September. “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.”
Billy Joel is taking time away from performing as he deals with his brain disorder (AFP/Getty)
He added that the surgery was a success, and that he had already noticed improvements in his brain function.
However, it is still unlikely that Joel will be returning to the stage anytime soon as he prioritizes his recovery — and doctors have told him that his symptoms are made worse by performing.
Joel explained on the radio show: “I realized, and the doctors told me this, 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 added, “It was causing damage to my brain nerves and I could be losing more brain cells the more shows I did and I realized that means I shouldn’t be doing this right now. I gotta improve.”
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
