Billy Joel Announces Brain Disorder and Cancels All Concerts
Billy Joel, the arena-filling everyman singer-songwriter, has canceled all of his upcoming concerts, including a large-scale tour scheduled for this year and next, because of a brain disorder known as normal pressure hydrocephalus, or N.P.H., he announced in a statement on Friday.
'This condition has been exacerbated by recent concert performances, leading to problems with hearing, vision, and balance,' said the statement, which was posted to the singer's social media accounts. 'Under his doctor's instructions, Billy is undergoing specific physical therapy and has been advised to refrain from performing during this recovery period.'
Joel, 76, added, 'I'm sincerely sorry to disappoint our audience, and thank you for your understanding.'
A pop music mainstay since the early 1970s, Joel is best known for songs like 'Piano Man,' 'Scenes From an Italian Restaurant,' 'She's Always a Woman' and 'Big Shot' — just a sampling of the crowd-pleasing singalongs in his catalog, which included 43 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC Sports
30 minutes ago
- NBC Sports
New York Knicks 2024-2025 fantasy basketball season recap: Karl-Anthony Towns shines in NYC debut
While the NBA Playoffs are in full swing, now is a good time to recap the fantasy basketball season for all 30 teams. In the following weeks, we will provide a recap for each team, starting with the team with the worst record and concluding with the NBA champion in June. Next up are the New York Knicks, who made significant changes after a second-round exit in last season's playoffs. The first move was to add another Villanova alum to the roster, acquiring Mikal Bridges from the Nets in exchange for a package that included five future first-round picks. Lead executive Leon Rose wasn't finished either, sending Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to Minnesota in exchange for Karl-Anthony Towns. The Knicks would go on to record a second straight 50-win season, the first time they've done so since the mid-90s, and reach the conference finals for the first time since 2000. New York Knicks 2024-2025 Season Recap Record: 51-31 (3rd, East) Offensive Rating: 117.3 (5th) Defensive Rating: 113.3 (13th) Net Rating: 4.0 (8th) Pace: 97.64 (26th) 2025 NBA Draft Picks: 50 With the additions of Bridges and Towns, the Knicks boasted what was expected to be one of the best starting fives in the NBA. And that's how things played out for a while, but there was a shift during the latter stages of the regular season. After the All-Star break, New York's net rating of 0.3 ranked 18th in the NBA, due mainly to a sharp decrease in the team's offensive rating. Ranked second in that category before the break, the Knicks were 22nd in offensive rating after. Still, the Knicks managed to win 51 games and earn the 3-seed in the East, with Towns (third team) and Jalen Brunson (second team) earning All-NBA honors. After battling through a six-game series with Detroit and Boston, New York faced long-time nemesis Indiana in the Eastern Conference Finals. After shockingly blowing Game 1, the team's lack of depth and penchant for committing turnovers proved costly, as the Pacers won the series in six games. Rose and company now head into a critical offseason for the franchise, as the Knicks need to strengthen their bench, especially when considering the depth of the two teams in the NBA Finals. That said, with Boston due to be without Jayson Tatum for most of next season due to his ruptured Achilles tendon, the Knicks will likely be viewed as one of the preseason favorites in the East. Whether or not they make good on those expectations will depend on what the front office does this offseason. Fantasy Standout: Karl-Anthony Towns With the move from Minnesota to New York, many fantasy managers expected Towns' fantasy value to spike this season. With Mitchell Robinson unavailable due to offseason ankle surgery, KAT was the lone big in the Knicks' starting lineup, and he flourished offensively. Appearing in 72 games, he averaged 24.4 points, 12.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.7 blocks and 2.0 three-pointers in 35.0 minutes. In addition to recording a career-best rebounding average, Towns matched his previous high in steals (2021-22). That was also the last season in which Towns played at least 70 games. KAT did have to deal with a left knee injury down the stretch that lingered into the postseason, but availability was not an issue. Towns scored at least 30 points in 22 games, which included five games of 40 or more, led by a 46-point effort in a November 13 loss to the Bulls. Entering the season with a Yahoo! ADP of 19, KAT exceeded those expectations, providing top-10 value in eight- and nine-cat formats, and he was a top-5 player regarding total value. While there have been some early questions in the immediate aftermath of the Knicks' elimination from the playoffs, he had an outstanding debut season in the Big Apple. Towns should be a first-round pick in fantasy drafts in the fall. Fantasy Revelation: OG Anunoby While few questioned Anunoby's ability to be a quality asset for their fantasy teams, the consensus was that he would be a middle-round pick. He finished his first season with the Knicks ranked just outside the top-75 in per-game value and entered the 2024-25 campaign with a Yahoo! ADP of 80. Availability issues in the past impacted his draft position, with Anunoby exceeding 65 regular-season appearances once since the 2019-20 season. Not only did OG appear in 74 games, but this was also his most productive offensive season as a pro. Shooting 47.6 percent from the field and 81.0 percent from the foul line, Anunoby averaged 18.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.5 steals, 0.9 blocks and 2.3 three-pointers in 36.6 minutes. Recording a career-high scoring average, he was a top-40 player in nine-cat formats and sat just outside the top-50 in eight-cat formats. Anunoby had 32 games in which he scored at least 20 points, nearly triple his 2023-24 total (11), including a 40-point effort in New York's November 25 blowout of the Nuggets. OG has provided top-50 value in three of his last five seasons, but there were questions following the additions of Towns and Bridges. There should be no such concerns heading into drafts next fall. Fantasy Disappointment: Mikal Bridges Unfortunately for Bridges, the haul New York gave up to acquire him was something that would be cited throughout his first season with the Knicks. While his first full season with the Nets was not as productive as many fantasy managers anticipated, the feeling was that the slender wing would be able to provide top-50 value, or at least approach it. That would not be the case, as Bridges got off to a slow start and ultimately failed to crack the top-75 in eight- or nine-cat formats. Once again appearing in all 82 games, he averaged 17.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.5 blocks and 2.0 three-pointers in 37.0 minutes, shooting 50 percent from the field and 81.4 percent from the foul line. Those aren't bad numbers by any stretch of the imagination, and Bridges being dependable from an availability standpoint raises his fantasy floor. That said, more was expected from the newest member of the Knicks' 'WingStop' trio. His average of 1.4 free throw attempts per game was the lowest for Bridges since his rookie season, and that was also the last time he shot as poorly from three as he did in 2024-25. Eligible for a contract extension this summer, Bridges' role with the Knicks is unlikely to change much if the front office does not make any significant moves. The hope is that he'll be more comfortable offensively, thus improving his fantasy value after it slipped in 2024-25. Fantasy Recaps/Look-Aheads Jalen Brunson Brunson's fantasy ranking illustrates the difference between actual player value and fantasy basketball value. No one in their right mind would say that Brunson's 2024-25 season was disappointing, given his numbers and achievements, which included a second-team All-NBA selection and starting in the All-Star Game for the first time. However, he had a Yahoo! ADP of 19, meaning that many fantasy managers projected him to be something close to a cornerstone for their rosters. Brunson finished with averages of 26.0 points, 2.9 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 0.9 steals and 2.3 three-pointers in 35.4 minutes, shooting 48.8 percent from the field and 82.1 percent from the foul line. Those numbers were good enough for top-50 value in eight- and nine-cat formats, with the Knicks captain appearing in 65 games. The most significant issue for fantasy managers was the unfortunate timing of his lone extended absence, with a right ankle injury sidelining Brunson for 15 games in March and April. There were moments during the postseason in which Brunson appeared to tweak his ankle, but he did not miss any time. While some may be hesitant to use a top-20 pick on Brunson again, especially if the Knicks don't make any significant moves in the offseason, he's worth the risk. Josh Hart With the addition of Bridges and Towns to the Knicks' starting lineup, Hart was the player many expected to take the most significant hit to his fantasy value. The rugged wing entered the season with a Yahoo! ADP of 116, a clear sign that fantasy managers did not expect much more than late-round value. Averaging a career-high 37.6 minutes per game during the regular season, Hart contributed 13.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.1 three-pointers, shooting 52.5 percent from the field and 77.6 percent from the foul line. His nine triple-doubles broke a Knicks' single-season franchise record previously held by Walt 'Clyde' Frazier, and Hart finished as a third-round player in eight- and nine-cat formats. However, the lackluster perimeter shooting and turnovers proved problematic during the postseason, especially in the Eastern Conference Finals. Hart was replaced in the starting lineup by Mitchell Robinson ahead of Game 3 and would come off the bench in each of the final four contests. While Hart hit double digits in rebounds in three of those reserve appearances and recorded two double-doubles, his impact in that series was muted. Was the move to the bench a sign of what's to come in 2025-26? Regardless of the answer, Hart's draft position is unlikely to match his 2024-25 output, but coming off the bench will likely lower his fantasy ceiling. Mitchell Robinson After a second surgery on his right ankle last May, Robinson was not ready to begin the 2024-25 season. That factored into the Knicks' decision to get the Towns trade completed, as the team would have gone into training camp with Precious Achiuwa and rookie Ariel Hukporti as its healthy options at the center position. Robinson did not make his first appearance of the season until February 28 against the Grizzlies, surpassing 20 minutes twice in his first 14 outings. His impact as an offensive rebounder and defender gave the Knicks a welcome boost during the postseason. Still, his poor foul shooting made the 7-footer a target for intentional fouls, especially in the Boston series. While he was not much of a help to fantasy managers after returning from injury, providing top-150 value in nine-cat formats, it's easy to envision a scenario in which Robinson figures more prominently in the Knicks' rotation next season. He replaced Hart in the starting lineup for the final four games of the conference finals, giving New York a much-needed boost on the offensive glass and the defensive end of the floor. However, the limitations make Robinson a player best suited for rosters that can either absorb his poor foul shooting or punt that category outright. Miles McBride McBride was projected to be the Knicks' most valuable reserve this season, and that's how things played out. In 64 games, he averaged 9.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.8 three-pointers in 24.9 minutes, with each of those numbers being career-highs. Deuce started 10 games, most occurring while the Knicks were without Brunson, before a groin injury sidelined him for eight games in late-March/early April. While he did exceed his Yahoo! ADP of 144 in nine-cat formats, there was the feeling that something was left on the table, through no fault of McBride's. really is almost unbelievable that Thibs played Deuce McBride alongside the other 4 starters (in place of Hart) for LESS THAN 50 minutes the ENTIRE season (playoffs and regular season combined) seems impossible. somehow it's true As the limitations of New York's starting lineup rose to the surface during the second half of the regular season, that did not result in McBride getting more time with the team's top four scorers. And that was before Brunson went down with his ankle injury. And when Thibodeau decided to change the starting lineup in the conference finals, he went with rebounding/defense (Robinson) to replace Josh Hart instead of McBride, who could have added more scoring. McBride is the lone rotation reserve under contract for next season, so his role is unlikely to change much. He'll remain a late-round option in standard leagues. Precious Achiuwa After hitting free agency following a solid run with the Knicks last season, Achiuwa inked a one-year deal with the team in late July. While it appeared that he could be in for a more prominent role due to Mitchell Robinson's offseason ankle surgery, things would not play out that way. The addition of Towns gave the Knicks a needed boost of talent at the center position, relegating Achiuwa to a reserve role on most nights. He made 10 starts, finishing the regular season with averages of 6.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.7 blocks in 20.5 minutes, shooting 50.2 percent from the field and 59.4 percent from the foul line. Along with fellow reserves Cameron Payne, Landry Shamet and Delon Wright, Achiuwa will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. While there will likely be a desire for a more prominent role somewhere, that may not be in the cards. Achiuwa returning to New York would mean another season in which he doesn't offer much beyond streaming value when one of the preferred big men isn't available to play. Restricted Free Agents: MarJon Beauchamp, Kevin McCullar Jr., Anton Watson Unrestricted Free Agents: Precious Achiuwa, Cameron Payne, Landry Shamet, Delon Wright Team Option: P.J. Tucker, Ariel Hukporti
Associated Press
30 minutes ago
- Associated Press
New York and Minnesota still leading the way, both unbeaten heading into Commissioner's Cup play
NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx picked up right where they left off last season when reaching the WNBA Finals. Both teams have gone undefeated through their first seven games this year with the Lynx set to host Phoenix on Tuesday night in a Commissioner's Cup matchup. The Liberty and Lynx faced off last season in the in-season tournament final with Minnesota coming away with the victory. New York got revenge, winning the WNBA championship for the first time in franchise history. The two teams are each 7-0 this season, marking the latest that more than one franchise had been undefeated this long into the season since both the Lynx and Los Angeles Sparks started 2016 winning their first 11 games. New York has dominated its opponents so far, averaging 91.9 points a game, and winning by nearly 23 points a contest. That includes a 48-point victory over Connecticut, the second-largest margin of victory in WNBA history. Minnesota has been finding ways to win close contests. Before beating Golden State by 11 on Sunday, the Lynx had won their previous four games by a total of 18 points. The Lynx and Liberty won't play in the regular season for a few more months with their four matchups coming in the span of a few weeks — the first of which is on July 30. Power poll rankings New York led the way as the No. 1 team in the power poll again this week. Minnesota was right behind in second. The national voting panel chose Phoenix third and Atlanta fourth. The Dream moved up three places. Las Vegas, Seattle and Indiana were the next three. Washington, Golden State and Chicago followed. Los Angeles, Dallas and Connecticut rounded out the poll. Commissioner's Cup The WNBA will play its annual in-season tournament over the next few weeks. Each team will play the other teams in their conference one time during that window. The West will have six games with the addition of expansion team Golden State. The East will play five. The teams with the best record in each conference will face off in the title game. The winning team receives a $500,000 cash prize pool to divvy up as well as each player on that squad will get $5,000 in cryptocurrency from Bitcoin. Player of the week Allisha Gray of Atlanta earned Player of the Week honors for the second time in her career. The Dream guard, who also won the award in June 2023, averaged 26.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4 assists to help Atlanta win both its games last week on the road over Los Angeles and Seattle. Other players receiving consideration included A'ja Wilson of Las Vegas, Napheesa Collier of Minnesota and Sabrina Ionescu of New York. Game of the week Indiana at Chicago, Saturday. Caitlin Clark may still be sidelined with a quad strain for this rematch between the Fever and Sky. The game will be broadcast on CBS in primetime, the first for the network in WNBA history. ___ AP WNBA:
TechCrunch
33 minutes ago
- TechCrunch
Snapchat adds new tools for building Bitmoji games
Snapchat is launching new Lens Studio tools that AR creators and developers can use to build Bitmoji games, the company told TechCrunch exclusively. The company is also releasing a Bitmoji Suite as well as new assets for games. With Lens Studio 5.10, the new games assets offer developers new ways to build dynamic games Lenses, the company said. We're getting a turn-based system to enable back-and-forth gameplay, as well as the ability to Snap and respond to a challenge or turn in the same game. There's also a new customizable Character Controller that supports different gameplay styles, including third-person, first-person, side-scroller, and top-down perspectives. The leaderboard has also been updated with new templates for start and end screens, a standardized and hybrid view of friends and global scores, and new friend-related metrics, like 'friends who have played.' The Bitmoji Suite brings new tools for personalizing and animating Bitmoji. Users can now design custom outfits for Bitmoji, generate stylized props, and animate them using Snap's library. Image Credits:Snap The company is also launching a new collection of single-player and turn-based Bitmoji Game Lenses that users can play and challenge friends in. The new Lenses include Bitmoji Bistro, Bitmoji Bucket, and Bitmoji Blast. Users can already play a number of game Lenses built by AR developers, but this is the first time Snap has introduced a collection of Bitmoji Game Lenses designed around challenging your friends. 'Lens Studio empowers our vibrant community of over 375,000 AR creators, developers, and teams to seamlessly build and publish Lenses, so we're excited to give them even more tools to create,' the company said in an email to TechCrunch. Techcrunch event Save now through June 4 for TechCrunch Sessions: AI Save $300 on your ticket to TC Sessions: AI—and get 50% off a second. Hear from leaders at OpenAI, Anthropic, Khosla Ventures, and more during a full day of expert insights, hands-on workshops, and high-impact networking. These low-rate deals disappear when the doors open on June 5. Exhibit at TechCrunch Sessions: AI Secure your spot at TC Sessions: AI and show 1,200+ decision-makers what you've built — without the big spend. Available through May 9 or while tables last. Berkeley, CA | REGISTER NOW Snapchat also said that developers can register for a chance to win cash prizes for using Bitmoji Suite and Games assets with its Bitmojiverse Challenge.
