Billy Joel has revealed he underwent brain surgery last year to alleviate normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH).
The Piano Man singer shared the update on his health via SiriusXM’s The Billy Joel Channel, sharing that his doctor recommended the operation because his NPH “could get worse”.
He was told that the procedure meant surgeons would “drill a hole through your skull” and “stick a shunt inside your brain”.
The advice came after Joel was diagnosed with NPH in May 2025.
“I noticed that my balance was not good,” he noted. “I had this sense of being on a boat, like this rocking motion. 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.”
Initially, the Honesty singer resisted the idea of going under the knife. “I said, ‘Nah, I think I’ll pass on that,'” he recalled. However, Joel changed his mind about undergoing the procedure once he learned it could alleviate his symptoms.
“I read up on it and I realised it can help improve your balance and can help your memory,” Joel continued. “You know, I don’t want to lose my marbles. 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.”
The procedure has had positive effects on his health. “It actually improved things,” he explained. “My memory got better, my balance got a little better, my ability to function was better.
“I know people have heard, ‘Oh, he’s got a brain disorder,’ and I’m OK,” he concluded. “I just want people to know, don’t worry about me. I’m not going anywhere. I’m here. I’m still here.”
