“But people keep repeating the myth. \u2018Oh, he\u2019s got so many DUIs.\u2019 I never had a DUI. So f— you,” Joel continued. “The press can be mean. So having that much attention paid to you is not easy.”<\/p>\n
Joel has never hid his issues with alcohol, even discussing them in the new documentary. However, in an interview with The New York Times Magazine<\/a> in 2013, he blamed his accidents a decade earlier on “mental fog.”<\/p>\n Amy Sussman/Getty Images<\/a><\/p>\n “I never had a DUI in my life. That\u2019s another fallacy. Look at the police records,” Joel said. “My mind wasn\u2019t right. I wasn\u2019t focused. I went into a deep, deep depression after 9\/11. 9\/11 just knocked the wind out of me, and I don\u2019t know even now if I\u2019ve recovered from it. It really, really hurt that man could do that to man. And then there was a breakup with somebody, and it took me a while to get me back on my feet again.”<\/p>\n Unfortunately, Joel, 76, is currently dealing with a case of\u00a0normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), a brain disorder caused by a buildup of excess\u00a0cerebrospinal fluid. It led to the legendary performer canceling the rest of his concert tour <\/a>back in May.<\/p>\n In an interview with Bill Maher, Joel said his balance “sucks” and likened it to being on a boat. The Long Island native also initially thought his issues might have been related to his past drinking, before he received his actual diagnosis.<\/p>\n “I feel good. They keep referring to what I have as a brain disorder, so it sounds a lot worse than what I’m feeling,” Joel told Maher<\/a>.<\/p>\n Billy Joel: And So It Goes\u00a0is now streaming on HBO.<\/p>\n![\"Billy](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/632507ea1d3f1d8a36c8c07c98dcdba5.jpeg\"\/)
Billy Joel performs onstage during the 66th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 04, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. <\/p>\n