While Billy Joel showed no interest in retiring, even after decades in the music industry, the singer recently canceled his upcoming concerts after being diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH). The condition which involved too much cerebrospinal fluid accumulating around the brain ventricles often caused issues with vision, balance, and hearing. Needing time to recover, Joel recently admitted that he was not dying as fans continued to support the singer through his health struggles.
With Joel turning 76 years old last month, the singer ended up having dinner with Howard Stern. The host of The Howard Stern Show discussed his time with the legendary performer and offered some hope for fans. He said, “He does have issues, but he said, ‘Yeah, you can tell people, I’m not dying.’ He wants people to know that. He’s got to deal with some medical stuff, but he was delightful.”
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The Only Time Billy Joel Got Sick Thanks To Howard Stern
Apparently, the only time that Joel remotely got sick, according to Stern, was when the host decided to sing him “Happy Birthday.” Stern revealed, “He didn’t seem real impressed.” But in his defense, Stern was singing to the man behind hit songs like “Piano Man”, “We Didn’t Start the Fire” and “Uptown Girl.”
As for Joel, he took a moment to thank fans for their ongoing love and support over the last few months. Even with the singer claiming he wasn’t “dying”, the health diagnosis was somewhat alarming. Joel posted a picture of his family with Alexis Roderick Joel writing, “Thank you for the outpouring of love and support. We are so grateful for the wonderful care and swift diagnosis we received. Bill is beloved by so many, and to us, he is a father and husband who is at the center of our world. We are hopeful for his recovery.”
Only seeing his struggles with NPH as a bump in the road, Alexis, like Joel, promised he would return to the stage in the near future. She ended the post with “We look forward to seeing you all in the future.” And with over 174,000 people liking the post, Joel and his family had more than enough support from fans all over the world.
(Photo by Larry Marano/Shutterstock)