Billy Joel says he feels ‘good’ after being diagnosed with brain condition

By Lauren Del Fabbro, PA Entertainment Reporter

US singer Billy Joel has said he feels “good” after being diagnosed with a brain condition.

It comes after the 76-year-old singer cancelled all his scheduled concerts, including a show in Edinburgh and Liverpool, after announcing that he was diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH).

The statement shared on Joel’s Instagram account in May also revealed that the condition appeared to have been exacerbated by recent performances, leading to problems with hearing, vision and balance.

Speaking to Bill Maher on his Club Random Podcast, the Piano Man singer shared an update on his health, saying that he was feeling “good”.

He said: “It’s not fixed, it’s still being worked on.

“I feel fine, my balance sucks. It’s like being on a boat.”

According to the NHS website, NPH is an uncommon and poorly understood condition that often affects people over the age of 60 and can be difficult to diagnose as its symptoms include mobility problems and dementia, which are associated with more common conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease.

He told Maher that he does not know what caused the condition and that, despite not drinking anymore, he thought it might have been caused by that.

“They keep referring to what I have as a brain disorder, so it sounds a lot worse than what I am feeling,” he added.

The New York-born singer is best known for songs including Uptown Girl, Tell Her About It and An Innocent Man and has achieved five UK top 10 singles and eight UK top 10 albums.

Since beginning his career in the mid-1960s, Joel has won five Grammy Awards and been nominated for 23, and was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame by one of his heroes, Ray Charles, in 1999.