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NewsSeptember, 10 Billy Joel Opens Up About Brain Surgery
Billy Joel has shared that he had brain surgery last year to ease normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH). The singer gave the health update on SiriusXM's The Billy Joel Channel, explaining that his doctor had advised the operation because his NPH "could get worse". He was told the procedure would involve surgeons drilling through his skull and placing a shunt inside his brain. The recommendation followed a diagnosis of NPH in May 2025. "I noticed that my balance was not good," he said. "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." At first, the Honesty singer was reluctant to go under the knife. "I said, 'Nah, I think I'll pass on that,'" he remembered. But he changed his mind once he understood the procedure could ease his symptoms. "I read up on it and I realised it can help improve your balance and can help your memory," Joel went on. "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 operation has brought positive changes. "It actually improved things," he said. "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."
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