Billy Joel has revealed he can no longer drive or perform while being treated for normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), a brain disorder diagnosed in 2025.
The 77-year-old singer said his condition had made driving “a little bit iffy” and that he was not allowed behind the wheel. He is now auctioning more than 70 of his motorcycles.
Joel disclosed the update in an interview published on Thursday, after undergoing surgery last month to have a shunt inserted in his brain to help treat NPH.
He said he had owned more than 100 motorcycles but had come to accept that he could no longer ride as often as he once did.
“I don’t want to die like a bug on a windshield. So I thought I’d put a lot of them on auction,” he said.
Joel described himself as a rider rather than a collector, saying he loved the anonymity of motorcycles as well as customising and modifying them. “I was actually a rider. So I figured it was just time to let it go,” he added.
The Piano Man singer also said he was unable to return to the stage after his neurologist warned that performing could place further strain on his condition.
“Every time you do a show, it’s like you’re getting a concussion,” Joel said he had been told.
He attributed the concern partly to the volume involved in live rock performances. “Rock and roll is loud, man,” he said. “Rock and roll made me deaf already. So it’s the lighting, the sound, the stress of the show, the audience, the energy of the performance.”
Joel said further tests would be needed to determine whether he could perform again, adding that he hoped to return to the stage.
