Billy Joel’s Daughter, Alexa Ray, Gives Health Update on Dad’s Brain Disorder Recovery: ‘He’s a Fighter. He’s Always Been a Fighter’
Joel was diagnosed with the neurological condition Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus last May.
Billy Joel performs onstage at the 66th Annual GRAMMY Awards held at Crypto.com Arena on February 4, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.
Almost a year after Billy Joel was diagnosed with the neurological condition Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus, his daughter, singer Alexa Ray, gave an update on how the “Piano Man” singer is doing.
“He’s doing physical therapy regularly and he’s doing great. He’s lost weight as he’s on his diet,” said singer-songwriter Alexa Ray of her dad’s road to recovery from the condition that affects balance, vision and hearing and which forced the cancellation of Joel’s planned 2025 tour dates. “I’m so proud of him. He’s such a trooper, so resilient and committed to being healthy and proactive. He’s a fighter. He’s always been a fighter and talks in his documentary about how life’s like a fight.”
Alexa Ray gave The Hollywood Reporter that update on her dad’s condition on the eve of Thursday night’s (March 12) tribute fundraiser, “The Music of Billy Joel” which took place at Carnegie Hall and featured Matchbox Twenty’s Rob Thomas, Matt Nathanson, Train’s Pat Monahan, Sammy Rae, Rufus Wainwright, O.A.R.’s Mark Roberge, Jon McLaughlin, Wyclef Jean and others playing the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s songs.
The event was the latest in promoter Michael Dorf’s Music Of benefit series, which has raised more than $2 million for music education programs in New York over the past 20 years.
Alexa Ray said the 76-year-old singer was planning to attend the event. “I said, ‘Dad, you better be there! This is Carnegie Hall. Everyone’s paying tribute to you, and it’s an amazing group of artists,’” she said. “He was like, ‘Let me mark that down.’ He’s very organized with his little calendar. He was so excited when he first played Carnegie Hall in the ‘70s, so it’s exciting for him to come back decades later and see amazing artists and his daughter pay tribute to him. It’s a full-circle moment.”
She said her dad asked her not to watch the videos of the Mohegan Sun show last year in which he fell after a microphone spin, which led to the diagnosis of the condition that occurs when cerebrospinal fluid builds up inside the skull, pressing on the brain, affecting “several brain-related abilities, including thinking and concentrating, memory, movement and more,” according to the Cleveland Clinic.
He played it down,” she said. “He knows I have anxiety and am a neurotic worrier, so he was like, ‘Everything’s fine. It was just a little trip.’ When I saw the footage, I was crying. But then I went with him to the doctors, and we’re on top of everything. I just tell him to stay healthy.”
Joel has been largely out of view since the diagnosis, telling Bill Maher last July, “I feel fine,” but admitting that his balance “sucks” and that it feels like “being on a boat.” And though there’s no update on his prognosis or a possible return to touring, Joel delighted fans in Florida on Jan. 2 when he played a two-song mini-set alongside the tribute band Turnstiles at a village amphitheater in Wellington, Fla. The Piano man joined the band accompanied by his wife, Alexis Roderick, and their two young daughters, Della and Remy.
After asking if he could hop on the mic, Joel performed “We Didn’t Start the Fire” and “Big Shot” as his daughters danced next to him. The brief appearance was Joel’s first time back on stage since last May’s news about his diagnosis; his last full concert took place in February 2025.
