Billy Joel is speaking out after brain surgery.
The 77-year-old “Piano Man” singer revealed Wednesday on SiriusXM’s The Billy Joel Channel that doctors implanted a shunt in his brain to treat a rare condition diagnosed last year. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m still here,” Joel shared on the broadcast, addressing fans directly about his health scare.
Joel, the “Uptown Girl” hitmaker, recalled first noticing something was wrong when his balance started failing him. “I noticed that my balance was not good,” he said. “I had this sense of being on a boat, like this rocking motion. I wasn’t steady on my feet.”
The Grammy winner went to a neurologist and received a diagnosis of normal pressure hydrocephalus, a condition where cerebrospinal fluid builds up inside the skull and presses on the brain, according to the Cleveland Clinic. The condition is often treatable with surgery to implant a shunt that drains excess fluid.
Joel initially balked at the recommendation. “I said, ‘Well, what does that entail?'” he recalled. “I didn’t want to do that.”
But after researching the procedure, he changed his mind. “I read up on it, and I realized it can help improve your balance and can help your memory,” the “Vienna” singer explained. “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 surgery, and they implanted a shunt in my brain, and it actually improved things.”
The surgery delivered measurable results. Joel reported improvement in his memory, balance and overall “ability to function” following the procedure.
The health crisis forced a dramatic career interruption. Doctors discovered that performing was causing additional harm to his recovering brain. “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,” Joel stated.
The damage was cumulative and serious. “It was causing damage to my brain nerves, and I could be losing more brain cells the more shows I did,” he continued. “I realized that means I shouldn’t be doing this right now. I got to improve.”
Joel is now following medical orders strictly. “I’m doing whatever it is they tell me to do because I don’t want to lose it, you know?” he said on the SiriusXM program. He added that he is attending physical therapy as part of his rehabilitation.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer first went public with his diagnosis in May 2025 when he canceled his remaining tour dates. The announcement came after he had already postponed several performances following a fall at his Mohegan Sun Casino show in Montville, Connecticut, in March. At that time, Joel told fans he needed to prioritize his health and was “expected to make a full recovery.”
The March fall proved to be a turning point that led to the broader medical investigation. Joel had been performing regularly before the incident forced him to step back and ultimately led to the NPH diagnosis and surgical intervention.
Normal pressure hydrocephalus is a relatively rare condition that can affect balance, memory and bladder control. The shunt procedure Joel underwent is a standard treatment, creating a drainage pathway for the excess fluid that was pressing on his brain tissue.
The “New York State of Mind” singer’s disclosure marks a rare window into the health struggles of an artist who has generally kept personal matters private throughout his decades-long career. His decision to detail the experience on his dedicated SiriusXM channel suggests an effort to control the narrative directly with his audience.
Joel’s touring schedule remains on hold while he continues recovery and physical therapy. The singer has not indicated when or if he might return to live performance, emphasizing instead his focus on following doctor’s orders and protecting his long-term health.
The “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me” performer joins a growing number of veteran artists confronting age-related health challenges in the public eye, though his case involves a specific neurological condition rather than typical wear and tear from decades on the road.
Joel is continuing physical therapy and following his doctors’ advice as he recovers from the brain surgery.