Billy Joel says goodbye to his motorcycle collection as he continues to deal with his diagnosis of normal pressure hydrocephalus.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter posted on Thursday (October 15), the New York native opened up about selling his bikes while giving a rare update on his health. He’s still unsure if he’ll be able to perform on stage, revealing: “I have to go through a series of tests before I know.”
“I can’t drive right now,” he continued. “I’m not allowed to drive. And I can’t do shows because what the neurologist told me, every time you do a show, it’s like you have a concussion.”
Joel attributed the dangers of performing on stage to the “volume” required by rock concerts. “Rock ‘n’ roll is loud, man,” he told the publication. “Rock ‘n’ roll already made me deaf. So it’s the lighting, the sound, the stress of the show, the audience, the energy of the performance. There’s a lot going on when you’re on stage. And they said, ‘Well, you really shouldn’t be doing that right now.’ So they have to test me more to see if I can go back and perform again, which I wish I could do.
The Piano Man first announced that he was suffering from normal pressure hydrocephalus in the spring of 2025, canceling his previously planned 2025-2026 tour. According to the Cleveland Clinic, HNP is a brain disorder that occurs when cerebrospinal fluid builds up inside the skull and puts pressure on the brain, affecting “several brain-related abilities, including thinking and concentration, memory, movement and more.”
“It sounds a lot worse than I feel,” Joel assured his fans in an interview on Bill Maher’s show. Random Club Podcast in July last year.
In addition to performing on stage, the disorder also prevented him from riding his many motorcycles. (He said THR (that he has accumulated more than a hundred over the years.) There is also the fact that Joel turned 77 this year.
“I’m now over 70 and I realized I couldn’t ride as much as I used to,” he said. “I don’t want to die like a bug on a windshield.”
The bikes will go on sale at Gooding Christie’s Rétromobile auction on November 20-21 at the Javits Center in New York.
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