logo
Billy Joel says he feels ‘good' after being diagnosed with brain condition

Billy Joel says he feels ‘good' after being diagnosed with brain condition

Leader Live2 days ago
It comes after the 76-year-old singer cancelled all his scheduled concerts, including a show in Edinburgh and Liverpool, after announcing that he was diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH).
The statement shared on Joel's Instagram account in May also revealed that the condition appeared to have been exacerbated by recent performances, leading to problems with hearing, vision and balance.
Speaking to Bill Maher on his Club Random Podcast, the Piano Man singer shared an update on his health, saying that he was feeling 'good'.
He said: 'It's not fixed, it's still being worked on.
'I feel fine, my balance sucks. It's like being on a boat.'
According to the NHS website, NPH is an uncommon and poorly understood condition that often affects people over the age of 60 and can be difficult to diagnose as its symptoms include mobility problems and dementia, which are associated with more common conditions such as Alzheimer's disease.
He told Maher that he does not know what caused the condition and that, despite not drinking anymore, he thought it might have been caused by that.
'They keep referring to what I have as a brain disorder, so it sounds a lot worse than what I am feeling,' he added.
The New York-born singer is best known for songs including Uptown Girl, Tell Her About It and An Innocent Man and has achieved five UK top 10 singles and eight UK top 10 albums.
Since beginning his career in the mid-1960s, Joel has won five Grammy Awards and been nominated for 23, and was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame by one of his heroes, Ray Charles, in 1999.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Winona Ryder says she still plays poker with Al Pacino
Winona Ryder says she still plays poker with Al Pacino

BreakingNews.ie

time26 minutes ago

  • BreakingNews.ie

Winona Ryder says she still plays poker with Al Pacino

US actress Winona Ryder has said she still plays poker with Hollywood star Al Pacino and that she once confessed her love to him. Ryder, 53, is best known for starring in Tim Burton's 1988 movie Beetlejuice and its 2024 sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, along with playing Joyce Byers in the hit Netflix series Stranger Things. Advertisement She worked with The Godfather star Pacino, 85, in the films Simone (2002) and Looking For Richard (1996), adding that she was 'actively' in love with him. Winona Ryder fronts the September issue of ELLE (Olivia Malone/ELLE UK/PA) Ryder, who fronts the September issue of ELLE UK, told the magazine: 'I was absolutely in love with Al Pacino when I was working with him. 'We were doing that workshop for Richard III, which I didn't know was gonna be a movie. I was actively in love with him. 'He was obsessed with coffee, and he would take me all over New York – like, to the weirdest places – to try different coffees. I'm 22, or whatever. Finally, he's dropping me off wherever I'm staying, and I'm like, 'I love you, you know. I really am completely in love with you.' And he was like: 'Aw, honey, noooo.' Advertisement 'Then, like 10 years later, I meet his girlfriend, who's younger than me. 'I still play poker with him sometimes. It's the best.' Winona Ryder (Olivia Malone/ELLE UK/PA) With a career spanning decades, Ryder credits actress Laura Dern for helping her navigate the industry and taking her under her wing. She said: 'I don't think I'd be here without her. I met her on my first screen test for Lucas – I didn't know what a screen test was. Advertisement 'Laura was there to read for the older girl, and she talked me through it, 'cause I didn't know what the f*** was going on. 'She befriended me. I was literally 12 and – nobody knows this – she took me under her wing into my twenties. That relationship got me through.' She is now passing on her own wisdom to the younger cast members on the series Stranger Things. Ryder said: 'I've been trying to sort of change this narrative with the kids, because they have it drilled into them that they're so lucky and, you know, that this show 'made' them. Advertisement 'I'm like: 'No. Netflix is so lucky. You guys are the special ones. Like, you guys are magic.'' Ryder is also known for starring in films including Heathers, Edward Scissorhands and Little Women. The September issue of ELLE UK is on sale from July 31st.

Pete Davidson admits he was 'nervous' about his sobriety before girlfriend's pregnancy
Pete Davidson admits he was 'nervous' about his sobriety before girlfriend's pregnancy

Daily Mail​

time5 hours ago

  • Daily Mail​

Pete Davidson admits he was 'nervous' about his sobriety before girlfriend's pregnancy

Pete Davidson admitted that he had been worried about his sobriety and how it could affect his career in a candid interview this week. The SNL alum, 31 - who recently broke his silence on girlfriend Elsie Hewitt's pregnancy - opened up on the topic on Tuesday's episode of The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon. The actor has reportedly been sober for nearly one year, and has also paid around $200K in tattoo removal amid his journey. At one point, the talk show host asked Davidson if there was a difference when it came to performing since becoming sober and the comedian simply replied with, 'Oh, yeah.' The father-to-be continued, 'That's what I was nervous about because I was like maybe I'm not very good, or maybe I was so high, I thought I was good.' However, Pete expressed that he is now, 'weirdly sharper and more aware, so it's more fun.' Jimmy then said, 'Enjoying it more,' which prompted the Bodies Bodies Bodies star to reply with, 'Yeah, when people laugh, you feel it as opposed to just sitting… so high, sitting there.' Earlier this year in January, a source claimed to People that the star 'has been sober since September, and gained twenty pounds.' The insider further added, 'Things are going really well for him. Things are heading in the right direction, and he's receiving excellent reviews for the movie,' referencing to his project titled Dog Man. Pete has also talked about making the decision to remove over 100 tattoos from his body. While on Today also in January, the star revealed what had led him to begin the grueling process of tattoo removal - and spending $200K to do so. 'I got sober and I saw myself in the mirror, and I was like nah. I was like, "I need to change it up a little bit,"' he explained. Davidson - who started to remove tattoos in 2020 - then admitted at the time that it feels 'pretty terrible.' He continued, 'So, if anybody is out there watching and thinking about getting a tattoo, just make sure you really want to get it.' Last year in July, Pete notably checked into a wellness facility to seek treatment for his mental health - including PTSD and borderline personality disorder. And in 2023, the actor also spent time at a facility to focus on his mental health - with a source telling People at the time that mental health has 'always been a priority' for Davidson. An insider also explained to the outlet, 'Pete will often check himself into rehab to work on these issues. His friends and family have been supportive during this time.' The comedian has been open about the topic for many years and previously told Variety back in 2018 that has 'been in and out of mental health facilities' since he was nine. He also shared to the publication, 'The last few years have been real rough with me. I took all these mental health classes and really spent a lot of time getting me good.' Davidson notably lost his father - a Staten Island firefighter - during the 9/11 attacks when he was just seven-years-old. And now nearly one year into his sobriety, Davidson has been promoting his new film The House - and is also preparing to be a dad. Last week, both he and girlfirend Elsie Hewitt announced that they are expecting their first child together. And while it has been claimed that the pregnancy was something the couple 'weren't planning' - the SNL alum and English model are beyond 'excited' to become parents. The comedian - who has previously been linked to high profile celebrities such as Kim Kardashian and Ariana Grande - first sparked romance rumors with Hewitt only months earlier ago in March. A source opened up to Us Weekly about their baby news and stated, 'Pete and Elsie definitely weren't planning on starting a family but are over the moon about it. 'They are so excited. Pete and Elsie have a really playful relationship, and things are going really well.' Despite dating for a 'short amount of time,' the pregnancy 'has brought them even closer. It's a healthy relationship for Pete.' has reached out to Davidson and Hewitt's reps for comment. The insider explained that fatherhood was something he always wanted for his future and that 'the timing in his life is perfect.' 'He couldn't have done it a few years ago but is in a very different place in life now,' the source further said of Pete - who notably got sober last year. Davidson and Hewitt have already begun preparing to welcome their little one to the world. 'They live together now and are starting to get things ready, which has been very exciting for them to do together.' The actor also finally broke his silence over the pregnancy news while talking to E! News on Tuesday. 'I'm very lucky and very, very happy,' Davidson expressed to the outlet, and added that he could not wait, 'to take care of something and show it the childhood I didn't have.' He continued, 'I assume you just try to give them what you didn't have, and what you didn't like, not do it.' Since the big announcement, the star has already received a lot of advice from pals - including fellow actor Adam Sandler. 'Everybody's just been super excited for me, because they know it's been my dream. They all just have been like, "You're going to be great at this. It's the best thing you'll ever do in your life." Sandler gave me some great advice.' Pete added, 'It's been really nice that everyone's super excited. When you do something, when we do anything, you want everyone to be excited, especially having a child.' And also during his appearance on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday, he gushed about becoming a dad. Fallon said, 'You did it!' with Davidson replying with, 'I did! If anybody who knows me, it's my dream to be a dad, so I'm so excited. Elsie is excited. I'm excited, you know, to see her be a mom, so we're stoked.' The talk show host told his guest that he will be a 'fantastic dad,' and Pete further talked about having a child. 'It's the best. Everything else doesn't really matter anymore. It's nice,' the star expressed. The actor has talked about his dreams of being a dad in the past - such as when he made an appearance on Kevin Hart's show Hart To Heart back in 2022. '[I'm] definitely a family guy. My favorite thing ever, which I've yet to achieve, is I want to have a kid. That's like my dream,' Pete expressed at the time. He said that being a father would 'just be so fun' and added he is 'so excited for that chapter, so like that's kinda just what I'm preparing for now. 'Just trying to be like, as good of a dude, and develop and get better so that when that happens it's just easier.' Earlier last week, Elsie shared an Instagram photo series where she announced the baby news. She captioned the carousel of snaps to her 1 million followers with, 'welp now everyone knows we had sex.' In one image, the couple could be seen cozying up together as Davidson rested his hand on her stomach. Hewitt additionally included an ultrasound of their baby and other pictures showed the lovebirds celebrating the pregnancy. The model donned a white cropped top as well as matching sweatpants while the comedian sported a white sweatshirt and gray sweatpants. They paused for more pictures outside while each sporting pink and blue boxers underneath their ensembles.

Billy Joel tells Bill Maher he's over what 'woke' people think of him
Billy Joel tells Bill Maher he's over what 'woke' people think of him

Daily Mail​

time6 hours ago

  • Daily Mail​

Billy Joel tells Bill Maher he's over what 'woke' people think of him

Billy Joel might go to extremes - but woke isn't one of them. The famed singer and pianist, 76, was the latest to appear on the Club Random podcast with Bill Maher, where he vented about the current state of politics and social norms while speaking about his new two-part HBO documentary, Billy Joel: And So It Goes. 'At this point… I'm inured to it,' the five-time Grammy winner, sitting in his home in front of his piano, told the outspoken media personality Maher, who has had his own ideological clashes with the left. The Bronx-born musical artist was asked about his take on contemporary culture - citing his 1976 track Angry Young Man - and didn't hold anything back. The song features the lyrics: 'I believe I've passed the age, of consciousness and righteous rage, I found that just surviving was a noble fight / I once believed in causes too, I had my pointless point of view, and life went on no matter who was wrong or right.' Maher sang the lyrics and said he was sure the generation gap in play would inevitably lead to misguided takes on the issue. 'I feel like that is the message of the age, even though some people will hear that and say, "Look at these two a*******!"' The Piano Man artist added, 'Boomers.' Maher said that in contemporary culture, people on the left get upset when others don't blindly agree in their condemnation of President Donald Trump. Maher cited lyrics from Joel's 1982 song Goodnight Saigon, in reference to the Vietnam War. The song included the lines, 'And who was wrong? And who was right? It didn't matter in the thick of the fight.' Maher asked Joel, 'Do you still feel that way?' who responded that he did. Said Maher, 'And you don't care what they say about you – the woke?' The Just The Way You Are singer responded, 'At this point, no.' Joel said that when he doesn't agree with someone, he makes a point to try to understand where they are coming from in their respective viewpoints. 'I'm always trying to find out the other point of view,' Joel said. 'What's, you know, not my point of view - somebody else's point of view. 'Okay, I'd like to understand why they think that way.' Maher said he feels that it's 'so difficult in this day and age' to have those discussions. 'I mean it is what I am always trying to do on my show,' said Maher, a graduate of the Ivy League's Cornell University. 'It is, look, this is one safe space for everybody and I will take the heat from either – both sides. 'I mean I do feel like the left, who, ironically I'm more actually aligned with, is more snippy about it, and has a worse attitude about it, and makes me viscerally not like them more sometimes.' The chat between Joel and Maher also ventured into how the proliferation of social media has changed the landscape. 'People say things all the time on [social media] they would never say, if they had to say it to your face,' Maher told Joel. Joel replied, 'It just always surprises me how people, they express this hatred - it's like, you hate a musician because he wrote something?'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store