logo
Billy Joel is a 'fighter' in wake of brain disorder health battle

Billy Joel is a 'fighter' in wake of brain disorder health battle

New York Post17-07-2025
Sing us a song, piano man.
The new documentary 'Billy Joel: And So It Goes' covers the life and career of the legendary musician, 76, featuring interviews with Joel, family members, his ex-wife Christie Brinkley, and fellow industry heavyweights such as Bruce Springsteen and Paul McCartney.
'I asked [Joel] … at the very beginning – if there were any sensitive areas. Not that I would have necessarily stayed away from them, but I wanted to know what they were,' co-director Susan Lacy exclusively told The Post. 'And his answer to that was, 'tell the truth. That's the only way to go.'
She explained that while probing into the 'Vienna' singer's life, 'nothing was off limits.'
10 The Billy Joel documentary 'And So It Goes.'
HBO
10 Billy Joel in 1981.
HBO
10 Billy Joel performs in 2022 in Melbourne, Australia.
WireImage
'He didn't see the film until it was finished, so he stuck by that,' Lacy explained. 'And we took that as permission to tell the real story about Billy Joel.'
In fact, the 'Uptown Girl' crooner had no editorial control over the film.
'I think it was courageous of him to give us that carte blanche and trust in us to tell that story – because not everybody would do that,' co-director Jessica Levin told The Post. 'I think he realized, 'I need to do my part, and try to go places where it might not be 100 comfortable for me.''
10 Billy Joel performs during the 66th Grammy Awards on February 4, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.
Getty Images for The Recording Academy
10 Billy Joel in 1981.
HBO
The film covers topics such as Joel's suicide attempt in his twenties, after he had an affair with his friend's wife – Elizabeth Weber, who would become Joel's first wife from 1973 to 1982.
Joel then went on to marry Brinkley, 71, from 1985 to 1994, with whom he shares daughter Alexa Ray Joel, 39; Katie Lee from 2004 to 2009, and he tied the knot with his current wife, Alexis Roderick, in 2015. The two share daughters Della Rose, 9, and Remy Anne, 7.
10 Co-directors and producers Susan Lacy (left) and Jessica Levin attend the world premiere of 'Billy Joel: And So It Goes' at the Tribeca Festival on June 4, 2025.
AFP via Getty Images
In the documentary, Joel sounds matter of fact about his attempt to take his own life.
'It was a long time ago. He was young, and he was heartbroken. He felt quite lost at that point,' Lacy said. 'There were a lot of emotional elements going on. He just didn't know which way to turn.'
Levin chimed in: 'I think it's important that it's not that he doesn't take suicide and depression seriously. He certainly takes those topics seriously. But for him, it was a very early moment in his career….Honestly, Billy is kind of a matter of fact guy and he's a guy that does try to build and move on.'
10 Alexis Roderick, Della Rose Joel, Billy Joel, and Remy Anne Joel attend the 66th Grammy Awards on February 4, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.
FilmMagic
10 Billy Joel in 1973.
HBO
After he saw the finished documentary, Joel wrote Lacy a note.
'He thanked me for so masterfully connecting the dots of his life and said that he now knew why he did what he did.'
'There's a real dichotomy with Billy – a man who put his life out there in his lyrics, but he doesn't believe in self-examination particularly….He put it in his music. And that saved his life,' she went on. 'He used music to cope with his life and to express his life and to what was going on. But I don't think he ever stood back and went, 'let's see how these dots connect with each other.' And that's what we did in this film.'
10 Billy Joel in 1978.
Getty Images
In May, Joel revealed that he's been diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus, a disorder that happens when cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) builds up inside the skull and presses on the brain, disrupting cognitive functioning.
Amid his health battle, he skipped the June premiere of 'Billy Joel: And So It Goes' at Tribeca Film Festival.
Lacy said his health issues didn't impact the project because it happened after they finished filming.
10 Billy Joel attends MSG Entertainment and Billy Joel special franchise announcement at Chase Square at Madison Square Garden on June 1, 2023.
Getty Images
'I think he's working on recovering, and he's resilient. He's a fighter.'
Aside from being a nod to one of his songs, the doc title 'And So It Goes' encapsulates Joel's approach to life.
'Which is, and, so it goes. 'I'm going to move on [from setbacks] and I'm not finished yet.' And here he is today, with this incredibly strong woman as his wife and these beautiful daughters,' Levin told The Post. 'It's important to him to stay around as long as he can for his children and his family. He cares deeply about that. He is the ultimate romantic.'
'Billy Joel: And So It Goes' Part One premieres on HBO Max on Friday, July 18 at 8 p.m. ET, followed by Part Two on Friday, July 25.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Readers critique The Post: My mother would never have allowed this
Readers critique The Post: My mother would never have allowed this

Washington Post

time21 minutes ago

  • Washington Post

Readers critique The Post: My mother would never have allowed this

Every week, The Post runs a collection of letters of readers' grievances — pointing out grammatical mistakes, missing coverage and inconsistencies. These letters tell us what we did wrong and, occasionally, offer praise. Here, we present this week's Free for All letters. The July 18 Weekend article 'A hands-on guide to bliss between bread' got handsy with the Sun City sandwich from Call Your Mother.

South Park Creators Reveal Network ‘Notes' For Episode That Mocked Trump
South Park Creators Reveal Network ‘Notes' For Episode That Mocked Trump

Forbes

time2 hours ago

  • Forbes

South Park Creators Reveal Network ‘Notes' For Episode That Mocked Trump

The writer-producers of 'South Park', Trey Parker and Matt Stone, addressed the reaction to the season 27 premiere of their show—which prominently skewered President Donald Trump—during a panel at the 2025 San Diego Comic Con on Thursday night, where they also described the 'notes' they received from the network about the show. Matt Stone, Trey Parker at the Comedy Central Adult Animation panel at the 2025 Comic-Con ... More International: San Diego. Variety via Getty Images Parker and Stone were featured on the 'Comedy Central Adult Animation' alongside comedian and 'Digman!' creator Andy Samberg and 'Beavis and Butt-Head' and 'King of the Hill' creator Mike Judge. The panel began with Parker and Stone being asked if they anticipated the strong reaction to their latest episode, to which Parker jokingly apologized, saying, 'We're terribly sorry.' The panel didn't heavily focus on the episode itself, but while talking about receiving notes from the network for some episodes, Judge asked the 'South Park' creators if they had received any for Wednesday's Season 27 opener. They said the network informed them that the image of the president's genitalia—which appeared during a mock PSA depicting a AI-generated Trump where he is fully naked—would get blurred out. Parker claimed he pushed back, saying 'No, you're not gonna blur the penis,' before Stone pointed out that they added eyes to the genetalia to tackle that. Stone then said this was followed by a conversation 'with a lot of grown-up' people for four days, insisting that the network can't blur the genitalia because it was a 'character.' 'South Park', which is no stranger to controversies, aired its first full episode in more than two years on Wednesday. The episode focused mainly on Trump and Paramount—the parent company of the network and streamer that airs 'South Park.' Multiple segments throughout the show depicted a cartoon version of the president getting in bed with Satan, who is shown as Trump's lover, in a callback to the early days of the show, where Satan and former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein were depicted as romantic partners. Jesus Christ, who has been a regular character in the show, reappears in the fictional town of South Park during the premiere and says he had to do this because of the 'lawsuit and an agreement with Paramount,' an apparent jab at the media giant's $16 million settlement with the president. When townspeople ask him for more details, Jesus retorts, 'Do you really want to end up like Colbert?' a reference to the late-night host whose show was canceled by CBS. The show also features repeated depictions of Trump with comedically small genitals, which enrages the fictional version of the president. How Has The White House Reacted To The Episode? The show triggered an angry reaction from the White House, with a spokesperson for the president describing 'South Park' as a 'fourth-rate' show. 'The Left's hypocrisy truly has no end – for years they have come after 'South Park' for what they labeled as 'offense' content, but suddenly they are praising the show,' White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers told several outlets. 'This show hasn't been relevant for over 20 years and is hanging on by a thread with uninspired ideas in a desperate attempt for attention.' White House Slams 'South Park' Episode That Skewers Trump And Paramount Amid $1.5 Billion Streaming Deal, Skydance Merger (Forbes)

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store