Billy Joel performs at Allegiant Stadium on November 09, 2024. Ethan Miller/Getty Images
In a sobering update posted on social media on Friday, Billy Joel announced both the cancellation of his upcoming tour dates and the serious diagnosis that prompted him to do so. The decision to cancel these tour dates followed a diagnosis of normal pressure hydrocephalus, which, his statement revealed, "[had] been exacerbated by recent concert performances." The condition affected Joel's "hearing, vision and balance," and is avoiding taking to the stage while he recovers.
According to the Cleveland Clinic's website, this condition is caused when fluid builds up inside the skull and presses against the affected person's brain. The symptoms of normal pressure hydrocephalus "look very much like those of dementia," though there are ways to treat and reverse the condition.
In an article on the diagnosis, The Hollywood Reporter's Jackie Strause pointed out that Joel had previously postponed his scheduled concerts in the wake of surgery and the ensuing physical therapy. In this week's statement, Joel said that he was "sincerely sorry to disappoint our audience" and thanked his listeners for their understanding.
Normal pressure hydrocephalus tends to affect people at or older than the age of 65. The Cleveland Clinic's website notes that, on average, it begins to affect people at the age of 70. (Joel is currently 76.) In 2023, a neurosurgeon based at Yale University began using a more minimally invasive method of treating the condition. Whatever method Joel's doctors are using for his treatment, hopefully he will make a full recovery.