In 2025, Billy Joel announced that he had been diagnosed with Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH), a brain disorder, and that he would be canceling his tour.
The musician last performed live in February 2025, but surprised fans on Friday (Jan. 2) when he joined the Billy Joel cover band Turnstiles onstage during their set at a 30th anniversary celebration for the Village of Wellington.
The tribute act was playing at Wellington Amphitheater in Florida, not far from Joel’s property.
Walking out on stage with the help of a cane, Joel joked that he “wasn’t planning on working tonight,” according to the Palm Beach Post.
Together, Joel and Turnstiles played two of his biggest hits: “We Didn’t Start the Fire” and “Big Shot.”
During an appearance on Bill Maher’s “Club Random” podcast in May 2025, Joel said despite his diagnosis, he “feels good.”
“They keep referring to what I have as a brain disorder, so it sounds a lot worse than what I’m feeling,” he explained.
In a separate interview with People, Joel added: “I know a lot of people are worried about me and my health, but I’m okay. What I have is something very few people know about, including me, no matter how much you try to research it. I’m doing my best to work with it and to recover from it. It was like being on a boat all the time. It was scary, but I’m okay. I just wanted to let people know, don’t worry about me being deathly ill or anything.”
