Billy Joel says he is not allowed to drive and cannot perform while doctors keep testing him after his 2025 diagnosis with normal pressure hydrocephalus, or NPH. The 77-year-old singer said his neurologist told him each show is like getting a concussion.
The update matters now because it comes in a fresh interview and puts a harder edge on what fans have already been watching since he canceled concerts in May 2025. Joel revealed the brain disorder that month and said recent concert performances had worsened the condition, leaving him with hearing, vision and balance problems.
Joel has tried to frame the diagnosis as manageable, saying he is OK and that it is not that serious. But that confidence runs into the medical restriction now hanging over him: neurologists have told him not to do performances because the stress of lighting and sound can be too much for his body right now, and he said doctors still need to test him further before he can return to the stage.
That gap between how he feels and what doctors are allowing is the story. In May, Joel said under his doctor’s instructions that he was doing specific physical therapy and had been told to stay away from performing during recovery. He had already postponed concerts in March after an unspecified surgery and physical therapy, and he lost his balance on Feb. 22, 2025, while performing Still Rock and Roll at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
NPH is a brain disorder in which excess cerebrospinal fluid builds up in the brain’s ventricles. It can cause trouble walking, cognitive problems and bladder control issues, and it is one of the few causes of dementia that can sometimes be controlled or reversed with surgery, usually through a shunt. It is still unclear whether Joel underwent that procedure, which leaves the next step dependent on the testing he says is still ahead. For now, the clearest answer is also the most frustrating one for fans: he is not being cleared to drive, and he is not being cleared to perform.
