Billy Joel has shown remarkable composure in the face of an extraordinarily difficult fortnight, paying heartfelt tribute to his lifelong friend and creative collaborator Jon Small just days after revealing he had undergone brain surgery. The 77-year-old pianist and songwriter shared what he described as a deeply personal statement — one he needed time to sit with before writing.
A Brotherhood Built on Music
Jon Small, who died on Friday 4th September, was by Billy Joel's own account far more than a friend. The two had known each other since they were teenagers, and it was together that they made the fateful decision to pursue music professionally — a gamble that would define both their lives.
"Jon was like a brother to me. No matter the distance or how much time passed, we shared a bond that never changed. We were still those two kids who formed a band together."
Joel shared the tribute on Instagram on Thursday 11th September, having waited, as he put it, "a few days to gather my thoughts" after Jon's death. He wrote that Small had "saved my life, metaphorically and physically," and that their lives and families had become deeply intertwined over the decades. Joel revealed that he is the stepfather of Jon's son, and has remained close with Jon's wife, Jeanine.
"He wasn't simply my oldest friend. He was family," Joel wrote. "Losing Jon has hit me in a way I have never experienced. It is difficult to imagine this world without him in it."
Jon Small went on to build a successful career in film and television, long after his days as a musician had ended. Yet Joel made clear that his old bandmate's influence on his own artistic journey never faded. "Jon was part of my career long after he stopped playing music. In so many ways, he was a founding member of it."
Brain Surgery and a Difficult Road Back
The tribute arrived just two days after Joel disclosed on Tuesday 9th September that he had undergone surgery to relieve symptoms of normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), a condition in which cerebrospinal fluid builds up inside or around the brain, affecting hearing, vision and balance. He had first announced the diagnosis in May 2025, at which point he cancelled all upcoming concerts.
In an interview with SiriusXM's Billy Joel Channel, Joel explained the full severity of what performing had been doing to his body. "The doctors told me because of my job, which is playing rock and roll music very loud, that it was giving me something like a concussion every time I did a show," he said. "It was causing damage to my brain nerves and I could be losing more brain cells the more shows I did."
Joel's last full concert had taken place on 22nd February 2025, at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, where he fell during a performance of 'It's Still Rock and Roll to Me' near the end of the set — something he played off as a joke in the moment, but which was in fact a symptom of NPH.
He had initially resisted the idea of having a shunt surgically implanted to drain the excess fluid, viewing it as too drastic a step. But after reading further into the procedure, he changed his mind. The surgery proved successful.
"My memory got better, my balance got a little better, my ability to function was better. I just want people to know, don't worry about me. I'm not going anywhere. I'm here. I'm still here."
A Career Forged in Resilience
It would be difficult to imagine a more testing stretch for any artist — and yet Billy Joel's history is, in many ways, a study in bouncing back from the unthinkable. Earlier in his career, Joel discovered that his then-manager Frank Weber had been misappropriating funds from his earnings, leaving him financially devastated despite years of sell-out tours. Weber had been close to Joel for years, practically family — which made the betrayal all the more crushing. "I found out I didn't have any of the money I should have," Joel said of the ordeal. "When I found out that my money was pretty well-spent, I was furious."
Rather than retreat, Joel channelled that fury into what became the album Storm Front, producing arena anthems such as 'We Didn't Start the Fire' and 'I Go to Extremes'. The Piano Man, as he has always been known, was never one to stay down for long.
Whether or not Billy Joel ever returns to the concert stage remains genuinely uncertain. Since going public with his diagnosis, his sole live appearance has been an impromptu guest spot with Billy Joel tribute band Turnstiles in Wellington, Florida, in January, where he joined them on 'We Didn't Start the Fire' and 'Big Shot'. For now, his fans will have to be content with the knowledge that he is recovering — and, in typically Joel fashion, refusing to be counted out.
