‘Don’t worry about me’: Billy Joel reveals he had brain surgery after diagnosis

Rock ‘n’ roll Hall of Famer Billy Joel provided a health update to his fans on Wednesday, revealing that he had brain surgery to relieve some of the symptoms of normal pressure hydrocephalus that he was diagnosed with in May 2025.

Joel, 77, gave the update on SiriusXM’s Billy Joel channel, Variety reported. He said he agreed to having a brain shunt after noticing “my balance was not good.”

“I had this sensation of rocking on a boat,” the six-time Grammy Award winner said.

But the “Piano Man” singer told his fans that he was “OK,” adding, “I just want people to know, don’t worry about me. I’m not going anywhere. I’m here. I’m still here.”

Joel said that he agreed to have the surgery after falling during a concert and saw a doctor, who told the singer he had normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), People reported.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, NPH occurs when cerebrospinal fluid builds up inside a person’s skull and presses against the brain. Treatment includes surgery to implant a shunt to drain excess fluid from inside the skull.

Joel underwent physical therapy before choosing surgery, People reported.

“I said, ‘Well, what does that entail?’ ‘Well, we drill a hole through your skull and we stick a shunt inside your brain.’ I said, ‘Nah, I think I’ll pass on that.’ I didn’t want to do that, but then I read up on it and I realized it can help improve your balance and can help your memory.

“You know, I don’t want to lose my marbles,” said Joel, whose musical career includes three No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and 13 top-10 singles. “It’s hard to tell what’s age and what’s a condition, so I agreed to do the shunt. 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. 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.”

Since his diagnosis, the “Uptown Girl” singer took the stage in early January for the first time at an amphitheater in Wellington, Florida, where fans were watching a Billy Joel tribute band. At the time, fans in the audience had no idea Joel would make an appearance.

“I wasn’t planning on working tonight,” Joel joked before launching into “We Didn’t Start the Fire” and “Big Shot.”

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