Billy Joel says he is doing better after brain surgery helped relieve some of the symptoms of normal pressure hydrocephalus, a disorder he was diagnosed with in 2025. On SiriusXM’s Billy Joel channel Wednesday, the singer talked about the surgery he agreed to after noticing “my balance was not good, I had this sensation of rocking on a boat.”
The 77-year-old musician revealed in May 2025 that he had been diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus, in which cerebrospinal fluid builds up inside the skull and presses on the brain. He canceled several concerts and said he had been told not to perform until he recovered.
Though he returned in January of this year to perform two songs with a tribute band, he said on Sirius that in general his doctors have asked him not to undergo too much stress.
His neurologist said that since it was possible it could continue to get worse, he recommended that Joel have a shunt implanted in his brain. Joel said on Sirius that although he initially didn’t want to have a hole drilled through his brain, after researching it he realized it could help with balance and help memory.
“I don’t want to lose my marbles,” he said. “It’s hard to tell what’s your age and what’s a condition.
“So they implanted a shunt in my brain and it actually improved things. My memory got better, my balance got a little better, my ability to function was better. I realized that because of my job, which is playing rock and roll music very loud, that it was giving me something like a concussion every time I did a show.”
“I’m ok. I want people to know, don’t worry about me. I’m still here,” he assured fans on Wednesday.
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