Billy Joel, 77, said he is not allowed to drive and cannot perform right now, in an interview published Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026.
The singer was diagnosed in 2025 with normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), a rare brain disorder. He said more testing will decide whether he can go back onstage.
“I have to take a series of tests before I know, but I can’t drive right now. I’m not allowed to drive. And I can’t do performances because what the neurologist told me, every time you do a show, it’s like you’re getting a concussion,” Joel told The Hollywood Reporter.
Joel said his health is good. The disorder mostly affects his balance, he said.
The problem is the volume. Joel said loud rock music already left him deaf, and he pointed to the lighting, the sound, the stress of a concert and the energy of the crowd as more than his brain should handle now. His doctors told him he should not be doing it, he said, and he wants to be cleared to do it again.
A Fall at Mohegan Sun Casino
Joel suffered a fall at his performance at Mohegan Sun Casino in Montville, Conn., in March 2025. He rescheduled eight tour dates first. Then, in May 2025, he announced the diagnosis and canceled all of his upcoming shows.
A statement on his Instagram page at the time said recent concerts had made the condition worse, leading to trouble with his hearing, vision and balance. It said he was doing specific physical therapy on his doctor’s instructions and had been advised not to perform while he recovered.
The Shunt That Improved His Memory
Surgeons implanted a shunt in his brain — a small tube that reroutes extra fluid away. NPH happens when cerebrospinal fluid builds up inside the skull and presses on the brain, disrupting how a person thinks, according to the Cleveland Clinic. The condition was once called water on the brain, and it affects balance, memory, vision and hearing. Treatment can reverse the symptoms, the Hydrocephalus Association says.
On SiriusXM’s “The Billy Joel Channel” on Sept. 9, Joel said the surgery worked: his memory improved, his balance improved a little, and he could function better. He described the symptoms that sent him to a neurologist as a rocking sensation, like standing on a boat.
On Bill Maher’s podcast “Club Random” in 2025, Joel said the condition was not fixed and was still being worked on. He said then that he felt good.
The Grammy winner, whose signature songs include “Piano Man” and “Uptown Girl,” has performed for more than five decades. He is continuing physical therapy and closely following his doctors’ instructions.
More Than 70 Motorcycles Go to Auction
More than 70 bikes from Joel’s personal collection are headed to a Gooding Christie’s auction in November 2026.
“I ended up having over a hundred motorcycles, and the truth is you can only ride one at a time,” Joel said. He is into his 70s now, he said, and cannot ride as much as he once did.
The diagnosis has made getting behind the wheel dicey, he said, so he decided it was time to hand the bikes to someone else. He was never a collector, he said — he was a rider who loved the anonymity of it and loved tinkering with the customizing and the modifications.
“I don’t want to die like a bug on a windshield,” he said.