Billy Joel Suspends Activities Due to Brain Disorder... Cancels Scheduled Concerts

Problems with Hearing, Vision, and Balance
Joel: "Focusing on Treatment... Sorry for the Disappointment"

Billy Joel, the American singer-songwriter well-known for songs like "Piano Man" and "Honesty," has revealed that he has been diagnosed with a brain disorder at the age of 76. He announced that he will suspend his activities to focus on treatment.

According to a statement released on Joel's Instagram on the 23rd (local time), he was recently diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH). Joel stated, "While performing recent concerts, my condition worsened, leading to problems with my hearing, vision, and sense of balance." He added that he is undergoing physical therapy as instructed by his doctors and has been advised to refrain from performing in order to recover. He expressed his apologies to fans for the disappointment and thanked them for their understanding.

American pop singer Billy Joel. Billy Joel Instagram

The American daily newspaper The New York Times reported on Joel's condition and explained the NPH diagnosis. According to the publication, this rare disorder is caused by an excessive buildup of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain, resulting in symptoms such as difficulty walking and bladder control issues.

Previously, in March, Joel announced that he would suspend eight scheduled concerts for four months due to health issues, with plans to resume in July. In February, during a performance in Connecticut, Joel suffered a fall on stage. Although he continued the show without serious injury, his subsequent announcement of a performance hiatus led to public speculation that the fall may have negatively impacted his health.

Since the early 1970s, Joel has been actively performing and has released numerous hit songs, including "Piano Man," "Just the Way You Are," "Honesty," and "Uptown Girl." Over the past 50 years, he has placed 43 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. Additionally, through his residency at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, New York, he performed well over 100 shows over a ten-year period until July of last year, attracting approximately 2 million audience members and generating more than $260 million (about 355.5 billion won) in revenue.