Billy Joel, 77, says doctors have barred him from driving and performing pending tests

Billy Joel does not know if he will play another show.

The 77-year-old told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview published Thursday, Oct. 15, that his doctors have told him to stay off the stage and off the road while he undergoes further testing for normal pressure hydrocephalus, the brain disorder he disclosed in 2025.

"I don't know. I have to take a series of tests before I know," Joel said. "But I can't drive right now. I'm not allowed to drive. And I can't do performances because what the neurologist told me, every time you do a show, it's like you're getting a concussion."

What Joel says the doctors are worried about

Joel said the concern is the whole environment of a concert, not one single factor.

"Rock 'n' roll is loud, man. Rock 'n' roll made me deaf already," he said. "So it's the lighting, the sound, the stress of the show, the audience, the energy of the performance. There's a lot going on when you're onstage."

He said the neurologists told him he shouldn't be doing that right now. "So they have to test me further to see if I can go back and do performing again, which I would like to be able to do."

Joel has not said when the tests will take place. No physician or representative has publicly described the testing plan or a timeline.

A condition he plays down

Joel described his health as "good" and brushed off the diagnosis. "It used to be called water on the brain, so it affects your balance, it affects your memory, it affects your vision, your hearing," he said. "But I'm OK. They call it a brain disorder, but it's not that serious. It's just something that affects your balance mostly."

The Alzheimer's Association describes the condition as an accumulation of excess cerebrospinal fluid in the brain's ventricles. It can cause trouble walking, memory problems and loss of bladder control. The Cleveland Clinic says it is often treatable and sometimes reversible. It is one of the few causes of dementia that can be controlled with surgery, usually a shunt.

The timeline so far

Joel announced the diagnosis and canceled scheduled concerts on May 23, 2025. His statement on Instagram said the condition "has been exacerbated by recent concert performances, leading to problems with hearing, vision and balance." It added that, under his doctor's instructions, he was doing specific physical therapy and had been advised not to perform.

On Sept. 9, 2026, he told listeners of SiriusXM's Billy Joel Channel that he had a shunt implanted in his brain. He said he first resisted. Then he read up on it.

"I realized it can help improve your balance and can help your memory," Joel said. "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." He said it "actually improved things."

He described the early symptoms as a sense of being on a boat, "this rocking motion." He also said he is doing physical therapy and trying to keep his stress down.

"I just want people to know, don't worry about me," he said. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm still here."

That reassurance followed a Sept. 17 scare. His representative confirmed to USA Today that he was alive after an apparent Google search error set off death rumors. A Google spokesperson told USA Today the incorrect information had been removed.

The motorcycles go up for sale

The update came ahead of a Gooding Christie's auction of more than 70 motorcycles from Joel's collection. It is set for Nov. 20 and 21 at the Javits Center in New York City.

Proceeds are intended for the Joel Foundation, which supports music education, women's health programs and humanitarian relief, among other causes.

Joel tied the sale partly to his age and condition. "I was not a collector," he said. "I was actually a rider." He added: "I don't want to die like a bug on a windshield." He also said hydrocephalus "makes driving a little bit iffy," so "it's time for me to turn it over to somebody else."

What comes next

Joel's last concert was in February 2025, according to Ultimate Classic Rock. The 2025 dates he canceled were never rescheduled.

Whether he performs again now rests on the further neurological testing he described. Joel has said he wants to return, but he has given no date for the tests or any decision. The next fixed date on his calendar is the Nov. 20 auction.