Billy Joel is mourning the death of his longtime friend and collaborator Jon Small.
The Piano Man singer paid tribute to Small, a drummer and former bandmate, on Instagram.
“RIP Jon Small,” Joel wrote alongside a throwback photo of the pair, and a more recent shot of them smiling together.
Small helped kickstart Joel’s music career by recruiting him into The Hassles. Their bond was sorely tested when Joel fell in love with Small’s wife, Elizabeth.
Joel said in the 2025 documentary Billy Joel: And So It Goes that he was wracked with guilt over the situation and felt like a “homewrecker”, and that both he and Small were “very upset”.
Joel and Elizabeth married in 1973, and she went on to be his manager. She is largely credited with helping launch his solo career. They divorced in 1982.
In the 1980s, Joel and Small reunited to make several music videos together, including Uptown Girl, Keeping the Faith and Tell Her About It, on which Small served as video producer.
Small was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1992 for his work on Joel’s Live at Yankee Stadium concert film.
He also worked as a director and producer for artists including Kenny Rogers, Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire and Blake Shelton.
