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Billy Joel’s touring future remains uncertain due to his ongoing health issues.
Joel, 77, revealed in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that he is also not allowed to drive a vehicle after being diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) in 2025.
“What the neurologist told me, every time you do a show, it’s like you have a concussion,” Joel said.
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Billy Joel can’t drive and is unsure of his touring future after being diagnosed with a brain disorder. (Taylor Hill/Getty Images)
When asked about his current condition, Joel said his “health is good,” but he still doesn’t know when he will be able to tour again.
“I have something called hydrocephalus,” he told the outlet. “It used to be called water on the brain, so it affects your balance, it affects your memory, it affects your vision, your hearing. But I’m fine.”
“They call it a brain disorder, but it’s not that serious. It’s just something that mainly affects your balance.”
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When it came to returning to the road, Joel admitted he couldn’t perform like he used to.
Billy Joel said that while his health is “good,” he has new limitations due to his NPH diagnosis. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images)
“I have to take a series of tests before I know, but I can’t drive at the moment,” he said. “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.”
He added: “So they need to test me more to see if I can go back and play again, which I would love to be able to do.”
The ‘Uptown Girl’ singer underwent brain surgery after revealing her normal pressure hydrocephalus diagnosis in May 2025. NPH affects his vision, hearing and balance, according to a statement Joel posted on social media at the time.
He delved deeper into his recovery process during a recent appearance on his self-titled SiriusXM show, “The Billy Joel Channel,” and said doctors told him that playing loud rock ‘n’ roll music damaged his brain nerves.
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Joel remembers his medical team saying, “Well, we’ll drill a hole in your skull and put a shunt in your brain.” »
“I didn’t want to do this, but then I read about it and realized it could help improve your balance and memory,” he noted. “You know, I don’t want to lose my mind. It’s hard to tell what age is and what disease is, so I agreed to do the shunt and I had surgery. And they implanted a shunt in my brain, and that actually made things better.”
Billy Joel has been nominated for dozens of Grammy Awards and won several trophies, including Album of the Year for “52nd Street.” (Getty Images)
“My memory got better. My balance got a little bit better. My ability to function got better and I realized, and the doctors told me, because of my job, which is playing rock and roll music really loud, that it was giving me some sort of concussion every time I did a show.”
Joel shared more about his diagnosis ahead of the sale of more than 70 lots from his personal motorcycle collection which will be auctioned next month with Gooding Christie’s.
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“Well, I ended up having over a hundred motorcycles, and the truth is you can only ride one at a time. I’m 70 now and I realized I couldn’t ride as much as I used to,” he told the outlet. “I don’t want to die like a bug on a windshield. So I thought I’d put a lot of them up for auction.”
Gooding Christie’s has announced the famous Billy Joel motorcycle collection as one of the top lots in its upcoming inaugural sale at the Javits Center in New York. (Billy Joël Archives)
“And I also have a condition called hydrocephalus, which makes driving a little difficult. So I realized it was time for me to hand over the responsibility to someone else.”
The collection includes a number of his most beloved motorcycles, in addition to Ducati, BMW, Moto Guzzi, Harley-Davidson, Yamaha, Triumph, Honda, Kawasaki and much more.
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“One of the stars of the sale is a 1978 Triumph T140 Bonneville that was given to Billy Joel by Madison Square Garden to commemorate 150 sold-out shows,” David Gooding, founder of Gooding Christie’s, told Fox News Digital of the bike, which is expected to fetch between $10,000 and $15,000.
Among the most exciting motorcycles in the collection is a 1978 Triumph T140 Bonneville given to Mr. Joel by Madison Square Garden on the occasion of his 150th sold-out show at the world-famous venue. (Mike Maez, Gooding & Company, LLC.)
“It still holds the record for the best-selling show at Madison Square Garden. And that bike is painted with a keyboard on the tank. It’s really, really a special, special item.”
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The motorcycles in the auction – scheduled for November 20 and 21 – will be on display at the Javits Center in New York.
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