Billy Joel, the 77-year-old singer-songwriter behind “Piano Man” and “Uptown Girl,” has a message for the fans who have worried about him since he stepped away from the stage: he had brain surgery, and he says it worked. Speaking on SiriusXM’s The Billy Joel Channel on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, Joel said he agreed to have a shunt implanted in his brain to treat normal pressure hydrocephalus, the disorder he was diagnosed with in 2025.
“So they implanted a shunt in my brain and it actually improved things,” he said. His memory sharpened after the operation, his balance steadied and his ability to function got better, he added.
Joel disclosed the diagnosis in May 2025 and canceled all of his scheduled concerts, saying he had been instructed not to perform until he recovered.
How the Symptoms Started
The trouble first showed up in his balance, Joel said. He described an unsteady, seasick sensation, as though the floor beneath him were rocking, and said he had no idea at the time what was causing it. His neurologist warned him that the condition could be progressive and might keep getting worse, and recommended implanting a shunt — a medical tube used to drain excess fluid — in his brain.
Why He Turned Down Surgery at First
Joel’s first answer was no. When he asked what the procedure involved and was told it meant drilling through his skull to place the shunt inside his brain, he initially declined. He changed his mind after doing his own research and learning the operation could improve balance and memory.
“I don’t want to lose my marbles,” Joel said, adding that it was difficult to separate what was age from what was a condition. He then agreed to the surgery.
What Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus Is
Normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) explains, happens when cerebrospinal fluid gathers abnormally in the deep structures of the brain and begins pressing on it. That fluid, known as CSF, fills the ventricles — the brain’s cavities — and serves as protective padding for both the brain and the spinal cord. NINDS says NPH develops once the fluid’s normal flow is obstructed and it pools inside those ventricles. The condition turns up most often in older adults, and surgery is the most common treatment.
Joel said nobody is certain what causes hydrocephalus. His own doctors, however, pointed to his line of work.
The Toll of Playing Loud
Playing rock and roll at high volume, Joel said his physicians told him, had been hitting him with the equivalent of a concussion at every show. They also told him the volume was damaging the nerves in his brain, and that the more concerts he played, the more brain cells he stood to lose. That, he said, convinced him he had no business being onstage while he was still recovering — that he needed to get better first.
It was a blunt verdict for a performer whose catalog — “Piano Man,” “Uptown Girl,” “Vienna” — has kept arenas full for decades, and it reframed the concert cancellations announced in May 2025 as something closer to medical necessity than a temporary scheduling problem.
Where His Recovery Stands Now
Joel said he is doing physical therapy and following his doctors’ instructions to the letter, and that they have asked him not to take on too much stress in general. He said he does not want to lose what he has regained, and that he is constantly testing himself to check where he stands.
There has already been one taste of the old life. Joel made a surprise return to the stage in January 2026, his first appearance since the diagnosis, joining a tribute band for two songs before an audience at a Florida village amphitheater. His remarks made clear that his medical team is still setting the pace.
What he wanted fans to take away, though, was simpler than any of the medical detail. “I’m OK. I want people to know, don’t worry about me. I’m still here,” Joel said.