Billy Joel reveals brain surgery to treat balance-destroying condition

Billy Joel disclosed on Wednesday that he underwent brain surgery to treat the neurological condition that forced him to cancel a slate of stadium concerts last year, telling listeners on his SiriusXM channel that doctors implanted a shunt after his balance problems worsened to the point that performing had begun to resemble sustaining repeated head trauma.

The 77-year-old singer made the disclosure during a segment of The Billy Joel Channel, a limited-run SiriusXM station featuring his music and commentary that returned to the platform this month. "I'm ok. I want people to know, don't worry about me. I'm still here," he told listeners, according to Variety's account of the interview.

From diagnosis to surgery

Joel announced in May 2025 that he had been diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus, a condition in which excess cerebrospinal fluid builds up inside the skull and presses on the brain, and canceled all of his remaining tour dates on his doctors' advice. He said Wednesday that his first symptom was a persistent unsteadiness. "I noticed that my balance was not good. I had this sense of being on a boat, like this rocking motion. I wasn't steady on my feet," he said, according to NBC News. He said doctors told him that the physical jolts of performing were, in effect, giving him repeated concussion-like impacts.

Joel said he initially rejected the recommended procedure. "We drill a hole through your skull and we stick a shunt inside your brain. I said, 'Nah, I think I'll pass on that,'" he recalled. He said he changed his mind after further research and concern about the diagnosis's effect on his cognition. "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," he said, adding that the operation "actually improved things."

A gradual return

Since the surgery, Joel has made limited public appearances, including performing two songs with a cover band in Palm Beach, Florida, in January, his first public performance since the diagnosis was announced. He has not confirmed a return to full touring, and no new concert dates have been announced. Fans holding tickets to the canceled 2025 dates were offered automatic refunds at the time of the cancellation, first detailed on Joel's official website.

Normal pressure hydrocephalus is treatable but frequently underdiagnosed, particularly in older adults, because its symptoms, gait disturbances, memory trouble and bladder issues, overlap with normal aging and other neurological conditions. Shunt surgery, in which a thin tube is implanted to drain excess fluid into another part of the body where it is reabsorbed, is the standard treatment and often produces marked improvement when the diagnosis is correct.

What's next

Joel gave no timetable for resuming full concerts, saying only that he continues to feel the benefits of the surgery. His SiriusXM channel is scheduled to run through early October with archival performances, interviews and new Joel-hosted programming, including a retrospective marking the 50th anniversary of his album "Turnstiles." Representatives for Joel did not indicate whether any 2026 tour dates would be rescheduled.