After postponing all his concerts in March due to surgery, Billy Joel shocked fans on Friday when he canceled all those shows outright and announced he’s been diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus. But the good news is that a full recovery is likely.
Billy’s condition is an abnormal buildup of cerebrospinal fluid deep within the brain, according to the U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. It can lead to problems with walking, bladder control, and thinking and reasoning.
Dr. Leah Croll, a neurologist at Maimonides Health, tells ABC News that the condition is “treatable and reversible,” depending on the cause and the patient’s situation. It can either be treated permanently by surgically inserting a tube in the brain for fluid drainage, or managed with medication and physical therapy.
Croll adds, “For Billy Joel, there would not necessarily be any reason to expect something other than a full recovery. We can’t be certain … there’s so many factors that go into a recovery, but in general, people do very well with this.”
The statement on Billy’s Instagram page noted that his condition had been made worse by concert performances, leading to “problems with hearing, vision, and balance.” It went on to say, “Billy is undergoing specific physical therapy and has been advised to refrain from performing during this recovery period.”
Croll explains why performing right now is a bad idea.
“Doing taxing physical activity is going to put stress on the brain, and it’s going to make those symptoms come out more,” she says. “Because the brain can’t compensate as well as it normally does when it’s devoting so much energy to a performance.”
Billy’s canceled shows included headlining stadium dates with Sting, Stevie Nicks and Rod Stewart.
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