Billy Joel admits cancelling of tour due to brain disorder 'sounds a lot worse' than it is

Billy Joel opened up about his health, after he had to cancel his scheduled concerts mid-tour in May 2025.

At the time, the 76-year-old singer announced that he’d been diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH).

Speaking to Bill Maher on his Club Random podcast, Joel reassured that he felt “good”.

“They keep referring to what I have as a brain disorder, so it sounds a lot worse than what I’m feeling,” he said, adding, “I feel fine. My balance sucks. It’s like being on a boat.”

In a statement to his Instagram account in May, Joel said his condition had been “exacerbated by recent concert performances, leading to problems with hearing, vision and balance”.

He said he had cancelled the rest of his tour on medical advice, and was undergoing physical therapy.

Speaking to Maher, the singer said: “It’s not fixed. It’s still being worked on.”

Joel said he doesn’t know what led to him to develop NPH. “I thought it must be from drinking,” the Piano Man singer said, adding he doesn’t drink any more. “I used to – like a fish.”

Normal pressure hydrocephalus is a neurological disorder where excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the brain’s ventricles, enlarging them without significantly increasing pressure.

It commonly affects older adults, usually above the age of 60 and can resemble other neurodegenerative conditions, making diagnosis challenging.

Symptoms

The classic triad includes gait disturbance (difficulty walking), cognitive decline (memory problems or confusion), and urinary incontinence.

Patients may also experience slowed thinking, poor balance, and frequent falls, which can worsen over time if untreated.

Treatment

Treatment typically involves surgical placement of a shunt to drain excess fluid from the brain to another part of the body. Early diagnosis and intervention can significantly improve symptoms and quality of life.