Billy Joel shared that he’s unsure when he can ever perform again and he’s no longer able to drive amid his ongoing health condition.
The singer, 77, shared the health update in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published on Thursday, October 15.
“I have to take a series of tests before I know,” Joel told the outlet about whether he’ll be able to get back on stage again, adding, “but I can’t drive right now. I’m not allowed to drive.”
Joel, who is auctioning off 70 motorcycles amid his brain disorder diagnosis, continued,“I can’t do performances because what the neurologist told me, every time you do a show, it’s like you’re getting a concussion.”
The musician explained that many of the elements involved in his live performances including “the volume” and “the lighting” and “the stress” would be detrimental to his health, according to his doctors.
“Rock ‘n’ roll is loud, man. Rock ‘n’ roll made me deaf already. So it’s the lighting, the sound, the stress of the show, the audience, the energy of the performance,” he said. “There’s a lot going on when you’re onstage. And they said, ‘Well, you really shouldn’t be doing that right now.’ So they have to test me further to see if I can go back and do performing again, which I would like to be able to do.”
Despite stepping back from performing, Joel told the outlet, “My health is good.”
He continued, “I have this thing called hydrocephalus. 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 OK. They call it a brain disorder, but it’s not that serious. It’s just something that affects your balance mostly.”
Last month, Joel shared more details about his brain disorder diagnosis.
“I noticed that my balance was not good. I had this sense of being on a boat, like this rocking motion,” Joel explained on SiriusXM’s The Billy Joel Channel on September 9 “I wasn’t steady on my feet. I didn’t know why that was and I went to meet with the neurologist, and I was diagnosed with having something called normal pressure hydrocephalus, which they used to call water on the brain.”
The “Piano Man” singer shared that doctors suggested he undergo surgery to implant a shunt in his brain. After initial hesitations, Joel said he decided to say yes to it.
“You know, I don’t want to lose my marbles,” he said. “It’s hard to tell what’s age and what’s a condition, so I agreed to do the shunt and I had a surgery, and 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.”
