Billy Joel has shared an update on how he’s feeling after being diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus.
At the beginning of his interview on Bill Maher’s Club Random Podcast posted Monday (July 21), the Piano Man said that, overall, he’s feeling alright as he deals with the brain condition. “It’s not fixed,” he began when asked whether his illness had been cured yet. “It’s still being worked on.”
“I feel fine,” Joel continued, sitting at a piano as he conversed with Maher. “My balance sucks. It’s like being on a boat. [My condition] used to be called ‘water on the brain.’ Now it’s called normal pressure hydrocephalus.”
The podcast comes about two months after the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer canceled all of his upcoming shows due to his NPH diagnosis, writing in a statement at the time, “I’m sincerely sorry to disappoint our audience, and thank you for understanding.” His team also shared at the time that he would be undergoing “specific physical therapy” to combat the disorder, which has affected his hearing, vision, balance and performance capabilities.
The announcement aligned with information on NPH gathered by the Cleveland Clinic, which describes the condition as one that occurs when cerebrospinal fluid builds up inside the skull, pressing on the brain. It can affect “several brain-related abilities, including thinking and concentrating, memory, movement and more,” with treatment involving implanting a shunt to drain the excess fluid.
“I thought it must be from drinking,” Joel confessed to Maher of his condition, adding that he doesn’t drink “anymore, but I used to, like a fish.”
“I feel good,” the five-time Grammy winner added. “They keep referring to what I have as a brain disorder, so it sounds a lot worse than what I’m feeling.”
Featuring co-headlining dates alongside Sting, Rod Stewart and Stevie Nicks, Joel had been on track to make history with his now-canceled 2025-26 tour. The trek would have made him the first artist in history to play all three New York City-area stadiums — Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, Citi Field in Queens and Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. — in one summer.
Instead of touring as planned, Joel is now focused on getting back into performance shape as he recovers from his illness. He also recently released his Billy Joel: And So It Goes documentary, the director of which — Susan Lacy — told Good Morning America last week that Joel was “doing physical therapy, he’s healing, he’s working on getting better.”
Watch Joel’s full interview with Maher below.