Music icon Billy Joel is finally pulling back the curtain on his long-hidden demons. Fans will soon learn that the truth is more shocking than ever imagined. The “New York State of Mind” hitmaker is getting brutally honest about the personal tragedies, deep regrets, and near-fatal mistakes that nearly cost him everything.
Set to air in July, the new HBO documentary Billy Joel: And So It Goes promises to reveal the raw, unfiltered side of the superstar he’s kept buried for decades. But the timing couldn’t be more emotional. Just last month, Joel, 75, was rocked by a devastating medical diagnosis. The singer has a condition known as normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), a brain condition that’s already affecting his memory, balance, and hearing.
Since the life-altering diagnosis, Joel has reportedly been spiraling emotionally. It has forced him to take a personal inventory of his life. Billy has revisited some of the darkest periods of his life. And one of his biggest regrets still haunts him, according to the Daily Mail.
Billy Joel admits to making some poor decisions throughout his lifetime. However, his scandalous affair with Elizabeth Weber, the wife of his former bandmate and best friend, Jon Small, is one of the worst.
Betrayal Ends Friendship For Singer Billy Joel
“I felt very, very guilty about it,” Joel confessed. “They had a child. I felt like a homewrecker. I was just in love with a woman, and I got a punch in the nose. The worst thing anyone can do is to betray their best friend in such a hideous way.“
The affair destroyed more than just longtime friendships. It shattered Billy’s emotional state in a way he had never before felt possible. After Elizabeth left both men, Joel reveals he plunged into a dangerous depression. “I was depressed to the point of almost being psychotic,” he admitted. “That is it. I don’t want to live anymore.”
It was in his early 20s that Joel’s life forever changed. The singer attempted suicide twice. First, he downed an entire bottle of sleeping pills and fell into a coma. When he woke up, his first thought wasn’t relief. Billy reveals it was the desire to try again.
Billy Joel Life-Changing Decision And Battle With NPH Brain Disorder
His second attempt was even more shocking. He drank a bottle of Lemon Pledge furniture polish. Miraculously, he was saved by none other than Jon Small, the same man he had betrayed. Small rushed him to the hospital, ultimately not only saving his life but forcing Billy Joel to make a life-changing decision.
Following the second attempt, Billy checked himself into a psychiatric ward, determined to confront his demons and begin the healing process. Despite his past being filled with many mistakes and disappointments, Joel felt he had finally found balance in his later years.
That is, until life threw him another curveball. Following a recent fall on stage, the 75-year-old was diagnosed with NPH (normal pressure hydrocephalus), a brain disorder that impacts coordination, hearing, and memory.
It’s a tough blow for the man who once ruled the stage. But this time, Billy isn’t backing down. Despite the grim reality of his condition, Joel is ready to fight. With the support of his family, he’s undergoing treatment and therapy. They are clinging to the hope that one day soon he will be well enough to step back on the stage.
Sources close to the music icon reveal that the road ahead is anything but easy. However, Billy Joel is giving it everything he’s got. He is committed to recovery and focusing on rebuilding his strength and spirit. And if his journey has taught him anything, it’s that even through heartbreak and regret, there’s always a path forward.
Kendra Quinn 
Sofia Bassett 
