Music icon Billy Joel has revealed that loud concerts were causing damage to his brain.

Joel revealed the news while providing an update on his health after undergoing brain surgery.

He was diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus, a brain disorder that affects balance and memory, in May 2025.

“The doctors told me because of my job, which is playing rock and roll music very loud, that it was giving me something like a concussion every time I did a show,” he said in an interview on Sirius XM’s The Billy Joel Channel.

“It was causing damage to my brain nerves and I could be losing more brain cells the more shows I did and I realized that means I shouldn’t be doing this right now. I got to improve. They don’t want me to stress too much.”

He added that although he was initially hesitant to receive the treatment, doctors implanted a shunt in his brain and it “improved things.”

“You know, I don’t want to lose my marbles. It’s hard to tell what’s age and what’s a condition, so I agreed to do the shunt and I had a surgery, and they implanted a shunt in my brain and it actually improved things. My memory got better, my balance got a little better, my ability to function was better.”

The 77-year-old musician said that he is now recuperating and doing physical therapy and listening to his doctors.

“They don’t want me to stress too much. I’m doing whatever it is they tell me to do, because I don’t want to lose it, you know? So I’m always testing myself.”

After undergoing surgery last year, Joel returned to the stage for a live performance in January, joining a Billy Joel cover band for two songs.

Source: RTT Music News