In an effort to alleviate normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH,) Billy Joel confirmed that he underwent brain surgery in 2025.
Taking to SiriusXM’s The Billy Joel Channel, the superstar singer/songwriter shared the update on his health adding that the doctor recommended the operation because his NPH “could get worse,” and he was told that the procedure meant surgeons would “drill a hole through your skull” and “stick a shunt inside your brain”.
The advice came after Joel was diagnosed with NPH in May 2025.
“I noticed that my balance was not good.” “I had this sense of being on a boat, like this rocking motion. I wasn’t steady on my feet. I didn’t know why that was, and I went to meet with the neurologist, and I was diagnosed with having something called normal pressure hydrocephalus, which they used to call water on the brain.”
Resisting the idea of going under the knife, the now 77-year old musician “I said, ‘Nah, I think I’ll pass on that,: but changed his mind once he learned it could alleviate his symptoms, adding “I read up on it and I realised it can help improve your balance and can help your memory.” “You know, I don’t want to lose my marbles. It’s hard to tell what’s age and what’s a condition, so I agreed to do the shunt and I had a surgery, and they implanted a shunt in my brain.”
Having had positive effects on his health, the native New Yorker concluded “It actually improved things.” “My memory got better, my balance got a little better, my ability to function was better.” “I know people have heard, ‘Oh, he’s got a brain disorder,’ and I’m OK.” “I just want people to know, don’t worry about me. I’m not going anywhere. I’m here. I’m still here.”
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Author: Saul Goode
Photo: U.S. Department of Defense photo by SRA Andrew J. Rice – Public Domain