Billy Joel says he is currently barred from driving and does not know when, or whether, he will be able to return to touring following his 2025 diagnosis of normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), a brain disorder that affects balance, memory, vision and hearing.
The 77-year-old Long Island native and longtime record-holder for most sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden told The Hollywood Reporter that performing itself now poses a medical risk.
“What the neurologist told me, every time you do a show, it’s like you’re getting a concussion,” Joel said.
Joel described his overall condition as manageable. “I have this thing called hydrocephalus,” he said. “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.” He added that while “they call it a brain disorder,” he doesn’t consider it “that serious,” characterizing it mainly as something “that affects your balance mostly.”
Still, the restrictions are real and immediate. “I have to take a series of tests before I know, but I can’t drive right now,” he said. “I’m not allowed to drive. And 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.” He said further testing will determine whether he can return to performing, “which I would like to be able to do.”
Surgery and Recovery
Joel first disclosed his NPH diagnosis in a social media statement in May 2025 and subsequently underwent brain surgery. In a recent appearance on his SiriusXM program, “The Billy Joel Channel,” he said doctors linked the condition to decades of performing loud rock music, comparing the cumulative effect to repeated concussions.
He recalled his medical team’s recommendation: “Well, we drill a hole through your skull, and we stick a shunt inside your brain.” Joel said he was initially reluctant but changed his mind after researching the procedure. “I didn’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.”
He said the surgery brought measurable improvement. “My memory got better. My balance got a little better. My ability to function was better, and I realized, and the doctors told me this, 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.”
Motorcycle Collection Heading to Auction in New York
Joel’s comments came ahead of a planned sale of more than 70 lots from his personal motorcycle collection, set for Nov. 20-21 through Gooding Christie’s, with the bikes on display at the Javits Center in New York.
“Well, I ended up having over a hundred motorcycles, and the truth is you can only ride one at a time,” Joel said. “I’m into my 70s now, and I realized I can’t ride as much as I used to. I don’t want to die like a bug on a windshield. So I thought I’d put a lot of them on auction.” He added that his diagnosis factored into the decision: “I have a condition called hydrocephalus, which makes driving a little bit iffy. So I realized it’s time for me to turn it over to somebody else.”
The collection spans Ducati, BMW, Moto Guzzi, Harley-Davidson, Yamaha, Triumph, Honda and Kawasaki models, among others. One standout, according to Gooding Christie’s founder David Gooding, is a 1978 Triumph T140 Bonneville given to Joel by Madison Square Garden to mark his 150th sold-out show there, a record he still holds. The bike’s tank is painted with a keyboard design and is expected to fetch between $10,000 and $15,000.
“It’s really, really a special, special item,” Gooding said.
