2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Billy Joel's tragic past - car crashes, addiction battle and suicide attempt
Billy Joel, also known as the Piano Man, is one of the most respected entertainers in the world - but the famous singer has faced his fair share of tragedy over the years
Billy Joel, affectionately known as the Piano Man, has been a beacon in the music world for more than 20 years, selling millions of records and mesmerising listeners far and wide. Yet despite his monumental success, the famed rocker has grappled with numerous personal tragedies.
The 76-year-old, who hails from The Bronx, New York, paved the way for music during the 1970s and 80s, becoming one of the most successful artists with hits like Uptown Girl, Piano Man, and We Didn't Start the Fire. Offering the chance to look back on his best performances and moments over the years, 'Billy Joel at the BBC ' will air tonight at 8.40pm, honouring the talented musician.
But away from fame and success, Billy has been involved in several car crashes, confronted addiction demons, endured mental health issues, and eventually decided to step back from songwriting.
When reflecting on what he cherishes most about his journey, Joel once remarked: "My ability to move on with life. I've had difficulties in my life, but it never stopped me from continuing."
He added: "Troubles with business didn't stop me from doing business. I have no bitterness about anything, even people who rip me off, I let it go. I'm content with that I'm happy. I'm having a happy ending."
The legendary 'Vienna' singer hasn't had an easy ride, literally – he's encountered alarmingly frequent mishaps behind the wheel, causing concern among his supporters over the years. Joel found himself embroiled in three separate motoring incidents in the early 2000s.
His most recent scrape occurred in 2004, when he accidentally propelled his vehicle into a house in Long Island. Thankfully, there were no other victims, and the star emerged with nothing worse than a nick on his finger.
In January 2003, Joel had a car crash in Sag Harbor, driving his Mercedes -Benz into a tree and sustaining minor head injuries, with paramedics whisking him off to hospital. Fast forward to June 2004, and the singer was involved in another prang in East Hampton, this time hitting a fire hydrant and post, again suffering minor injuries and declining medical help.
Opening up about his battles with alcoholism, Joel admitted that his substance abuse issues, particularly with alcohol, were an obstacle to achieving his full potential. In a candid chat with he confessed: "If I couldn't be as good as I wanted to be, I'd just drown it with booze. I know I've got a reputation that I'm this depressed guy. I'm not - I'm a happy guy. I was in rehab twice."
He remarked: "It was one of the best things I ever did."
Joel also revealed to Howard Stern his forays into drug experimentation, noting that heroin was the drug that frightened him the most due to its addictive nature. This fear, he explained, fuelled the creation of his track Scandinavian Skies.
The artist opened up about his mental health battles, including a suicide attempt detailed in his autobiography, which occurred during career struggles in his 20s. Despite the hurdles, Joel emerged as a musical legend, boasting 13 studio albums and an impressive repertoire of over 121 songs that resonated through generations.
Yet, the hitmaker confided to the LA Times that he hung up his hat on creating new tunes, finding the process "excruciating". Joel elaborated: "I didn't have the same motivation anymore. You need inspiration to create good new music, and if you don't have it, don't bother. Get off the treadmill, for Christ's sake."
Then last month, the iconic singer cancelled his gigs after he was diagnosed with Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH) - a condition that leads to fluid accumulation in the brain. In a social media update, Billy explained to fans that it causes issues with hearing, vision and balance.
In a further update this week, his close friend and radio host Howard Stern, 71, revealed that the Piano Man singer is "doing fine" as he relayed a message from the star. Speaking on his Sirius XM show, The Howard Stern Show, Howard said: "He does have issues, but he said, 'Yeah, you can tell people, I'm not dying'. He wants people to know that."
Howard and Joel recently enjoyed a dinner together a few weeks before, and the radio presenter said: "He's got to deal with some medical stuff, but he was delightful." He added to co-host Robin Quivers that he had a "great conversation" with Billy and that the singer "brought out a guitar" while celebrating Billy's birthday in early May.
