NEED TO KNOW
Billy Joel doesn’t need you to worry for him, ‘cause he’s alright.
Months after revealing he was diagnosed with a treatable brain condition, the legendary musician, 76, tells PEOPLE that he is rolling with the punches.
“I know a lot of people are worried about me and my health, but I’m okay,” he says. “What I have is something very few people know about, including me, no matter how much you try to research it. I’m doing my best to work with it and to recover from it.”
Joel announced in May that he’d been diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), a treatable brain condition that can affect hearing, vision and balance. The “Piano Man” singer says balance has so far been his biggest challenge — and was also what first alerted him that something was amiss.
“It was like being on a boat all the time,” he says.
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While Joel — whose storied career has seen renewed attention in recent weeks thanks to the new HBO documentary Billy Joel: And So It Goes — admits that he finds his diagnosis “disturbing,” he reassures fans that all is well.
“It was scary, but I’m okay,” he says. “I just wanted to let people know, don’t worry about me being deathly ill or anything.”
While announcing his diagnosis in May, Joel also revealed that he’d been forced to cancel all scheduled concerts, saying in a statement at the time that his condition had been “exacerbated by recent concert performances.”
“Billy is undergoing specific physical therapy and has been advised to refrain from performing during this recovery period,” the statement read. “Billy is thankful for the excellent care he is receiving from fans during this time and looks forward to the day when he can once again take the stage.”
The star himself added: “I’m sincerely sorry to disappoint our audience, and thank you for understanding.”
At the time, his wife Alexis also shared a statement of support with a sweet family photo on Instagram that included their daughters Della, 9, and Remy, 7.
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“Thank you for the outpouring of love and support,” she wrote. “We are so grateful for the wonderful care and swift diagnosis we received. Bill is beloved by so many, and to us, he is a father and husband who is at the center of our world. We are hopeful for his recovery. We look forward to seeing you all in the future.”
Joel’s daughter Alexa Ray, 39, whom he shares with ex-wife Christie Brinkley, also showed her support with a message on Instagram that read, in part, “We love you and we got you, Pop!”
“My Dad is the strongest and most resilient man I’ve ever known… and he’s entirely committed to making a full recovery with ongoing physical-therapy treatments as he continues to regain his strength,” she continued.
And So It Goes part one premiered last week on HBO, while part two is set to air this Friday, July 25. The documentary “is crafted around in-depth, exclusive interviews with Joel, illuminating the key moments that forged his character and the events and muses that inspired his music for more than six decades,” according to a press release.
