Latest news with #Attila
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Billy Joel tried to kill himself twice before realizing he could channel his sadness into music
Previously untold details of Billy Joel's life are revealed in the two-part documentary "Billy Joel: And So It Goes," which premiered last week and hits HBO in July. (Evan Agostini / Invision / Associated Press) Billy Joel's life is awash in revelations these days — some bad, some worse. Last month, the "Only the Good Die Young" singer-songwriter canceled all his upcoming concerts, revealing he was struggling with a brain disorder that causes a potentially reversible kind of dementia. Then last week, he divulged that he attempted suicide twice in his 20s after falling in love with his bandmate's wife and causing the downfall of the band itself. Advertisement Read more: Billy Joel cancels all of his upcoming shows after revealing brain disorder diagnosis "I felt very, very guilty about it. They had a child. I felt like a homewrecker,' Joel says (via People) in the first half of the two-part documentary "Billy Joel: And So It Goes," which premiered last Wednesday and hits HBO Max in July. 'I was just in love with a woman and I got punched in the nose, which I deserved." Joel said both he and his friend and Attila bandmate, Jon Small, were upset by what happened while Joel was living with Small and Small's then-wife, Elizabeth Weber. So upset that Attila — a Led Zeppelin-inspired metal band, according to the New York Times — broke up and Joel started boozing, which sent him into a tailspin. 'I had no place to live," Joel says in the documentary. "I was sleeping in laundromats, and I was depressed, I think to the point of almost being psychotic. So I figured, 'That's it. I don't want to live anymore.'" Advertisement He tried twice to end his life in the early 1970s, according to the documentary. First, he took the entire lot of sleeping pills that his sister, then a medical assistant, had given him to help him sleep. That put him in the hospital. Read more: Christie Brinkley details turbulent marriage with Billy Joel: 'I hesitated to put that scene in the book' "He was in a coma for days and days and days," Judy Molinari says in the program. She thought she had killed her brother. Joel says in the doc that he woke up in the hospital still suicidal, hoping to do it "right" the next time. His sister said he wound up drinking "lemon Pledge" furniture polish. That time, an unlikely person took him to the hospital: Small, his then-estranged best friend. Advertisement "Eventually," Small says in the documentary, "I forgave him." As for those impulses to harm himself, they wound up paying off for Joel after he checked out of a facility he had checked himself into after the second suicide attempt. Read more: 'We apologize': CBS vows to air Billy Joel milestone concert again after ending is cut off "I got out of the observation ward and I thought to myself, you can utilize all those emotions to channel that stuff into music." Joel reconnected with Weber about a year after that, wrote about her in the 1973 song "Piano Man," and married her from then until 1982. Marriages to Christie Brinkley, Katie Lee and current wife Alexis Roderick would follow. Advertisement The first part of the documentary covers Joel's childhood and runs through his 1982 motorcycle accident, according to the New York Times. He doesn't meet his "Uptown Girl," Brinkley, until Part 2. Get notified when the biggest stories in Hollywood, culture and entertainment go live. Sign up for L.A. Times entertainment alerts. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Billy Joel tried to kill himself twice before realizing he could channel his sadness into music
Billy Joel's life is awash in revelations these days — some bad, some worse. Last month, the 'Only the Good Die Young' singer-songwriter canceled all his upcoming concerts, revealing he was struggling with a brain disorder that causes a potentially reversible kind of dementia. Then last week, he divulged that he attempted suicide twice in his 20s after falling in love with his bandmate's wife and causing the downfall of the band itself. 'I felt very, very guilty about it. They had a child. I felt like a homewrecker,' Joel says (via People) in the first half of the two-part documentary 'Billy Joel: And So It Goes,' which premiered last Wednesday and hits HBO Max in July. 'I was just in love with a woman and I got punched in the nose, which I deserved.' Joel said both he and his friend and Attila bandmate, Jon Small, were upset by what happened while Joel was living with Small and Small's then-wife, Elizabeth Weber. So upset that Attila — a Led Zeppelin-inspired metal band, according to the New York Times — broke up and Joel started boozing, which sent him into a tailspin. 'I had no place to live,' Joel says in the documentary. 'I was sleeping in laundromats, and I was depressed, I think to the point of almost being psychotic. So I figured, 'That's it. I don't want to live anymore.'' He tried twice to end his life in the early 1970s, according to the documentary. First, he took the entire lot of sleeping pills that his sister, then a medical assistant, had given him to help him sleep. That put him in the hospital. 'He was in a coma for days and days and days,' Judy Molinari says in the program. She thought she had killed her brother. Joel says in the doc that he woke up in the hospital still suicidal, hoping to do it 'right' the next time. His sister said he wound up drinking 'lemon Pledge' furniture polish. That time, an unlikely person took him to the hospital: Small, his then-estranged best friend. 'Eventually,' Small says in the documentary, 'I forgave him.' As for those impulses to harm himself, they wound up paying off for Joel after he checked out of a facility he had checked himself into after the second suicide attempt. 'I got out of the observation ward and I thought to myself, you can utilize all those emotions to channel that stuff into music.' Joel reconnected with Weber about a year after that, wrote about her in the 1973 song 'Piano Man,' and married her from then until 1982. Marriages to Christie Brinkley, Katie Lee and current wife Alexis Roderick would follow. The first part of the documentary covers Joel's childhood and runs through his 1982 motorcycle accident, according to the New York Times. He doesn't meet his 'Uptown Girl,' Brinkley, until Part 2.
New Straits Times
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New Straits Times
#SHOWBIZ: Documentary reveals Billy Joel attempted suicide twice in the past
NEW YORK CITY: American singer Billy Joel "at one point wanted to end it all," according to the documentary 'Billy Joel: And So It Goes.' The new film, which premiered at the Tribeca Festival in New York City last week, revisits some of the singer's struggles, including two suicide attempts that followed an affair with his bandmate's wife, People magazine reports. The first part of the documentary recounts how Joel was in the band Attila with his best friend, Jon Small. Joel eventually moved in with Small, his wife, Elizabeth Weber, and their son. Weber reportedly states in the film that there was a "slow burn" between her and Joel. Joel admitted he "felt very, very guilty" about their subsequent affair. It ended in a fight, and the band split after he confessed to Small that he was in love with Weber. "They had a child. I felt like a homewrecker," Joel told the filmmakers. "I was just in love with a woman and I got punched in the nose, which I deserved. Jon was very upset. I was very upset." After Weber left, Joel said he spiralled into drinking, became homeless, and was "depressed, I think to the point of almost being psychotic." He recalled thinking, "That's it. I don't want to live anymore. I was just in a lot of pain and it was sort of like why hang out, tomorrow is going to be just like today is and today sucks. So, I just thought I'd end it all." His sister, Judy Molinari, then a medical assistant, gave him sleeping pills, all of which Joel took. He ended up in the hospital in a coma for days. "I went to go see him in the hospital, and he was lying there white as a sheet," she said in the film. "I thought that I'd killed him." During his second suicide attempt, Joel said he drank a bottle of cleaning fluid. Ironically, it was Small who took him to the hospital. "Even though our friendship was blowing up, Jon saved my life," Joel said. He sought help, which Joel credits with helping him channel his emotions into the music that brought him success. Years later, Joel and Weber reconnected and were married from 1973 to 1982. She continues to admire him and has been supportive as the superstar musician recently cancelled tour dates to seek treatment for normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), a condition affecting the brain. "He's worked so hard all of his life," she told E! News at the premiere. "I've never known anybody who worked harder than he did in all those years we were together and working together." 'Billy Joel: And So It Goes' is set to air on HBO next month.
The Star
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Billy Joel reveals he twice attempted suicide after affair with friend's wife
Late last month, Billy Joel announced that he'd been diagnosed with a brain condition known as hydrocephalus, which can lead to symptoms such as vomiting, vision problems, difficulty walking and cognitive impairment. Photo: TNS In his upcoming documentary for HBO, Billy Joel reveals that he twice attempted suicide, even landing in a coma, following a messy affair with his best friend's wife that left him wracked with guilt. The 76-year-old Piano Man recalls the painful period — and the love triangle involving his former bandmate Jon Small and Small's then-wife, Elizabeth Weber — in Billy Joel: And So It Goes , which premiered last week at the Tribeca Festival. Joel says he was in his early 20s and living with the couple when he fell 'in love' with Weber, who would later become his first wife. 'I felt very, very guilty about it. They had a child. I felt like a homewrecker,' Joel says. 'I was just in love with a woman and I got punched in the nose, which I deserved. Jon was very upset. I was very upset.' The fallout led to the end of their band, Attila, while Weber severed her relationships with both men. Left grieving and without a place to live, Joel says he fell into a downward spiral of heavy drinking, depression and sleeping in laundromats. 'I was depressed, I think, to the point of almost being psychotic. So I figured, that's it. I don't want to live anymore,' the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer says of wanting to 'end it all.' Joel then overdosed on sleeping pills and wound up in a coma for days on end. His sister, Judy Molinari, a medical assistant at the time, provided him with the pills thinking they'd help him sleep — not knowing he planned to 'take all of them.' 'I went to go see him in the hospital, and he was laying there white as a sheet. I felt that I killed him,' she tearfully recounts in the documentary. That unsuccessful suicide attempt was followed by another when Joel drank a bottle of furniture polish, Molinari says. Despite his fractured relationship with Small at the time, Joel credits his former bandmate for saving his life, saying he was the one who took him to the hospital after the second attempt. The gesture ultimately helped them repair their friendship. Joel eventually moved back into his mother's home and then checked into an observation ward, where he says he realised he could channel his emotions into music. The songs he wrote as a result would become his first solo album, 1971's Cold Spring Harbor . The album produced tracks including Tomorrow Is Today, Why Judy Why and She's Got A Way , the latter of which was inspired by Weber. Joel and Weber also reconciled their relationship and got married, which lasted from 1973 to 1982. She also served as his manager. The raw recollections in the documentary, which is scheduled to hit HBO in July, come amid another difficult period in Joel's life. Late last month, the New York State Of Mind crooner announced that he'd been diagnosed with a brain condition known as hydrocephalus, which can lead to symptoms such as vomiting, vision problems, difficulty walking and cognitive impairment. As a result of the diagnosis, Joel was forced to cancel all of his upcoming performances scheduled through July of next year. SiriusXM host Howard Stern said earlier this week that he'd had dinner with Joel, who told him he could assure his listeners he's 'not dying.' – New York Daily News/Tribune News Service Those contemplating suicide can reach out to the Mental Health Psychosocial Support Service (03-2935 9935 / 014-322 3392); Talian Kasih (15999 / 019-261 5999 on WhatsApp); Jakim's family, social and community care centre (011-1959 8214 on WhatsApp); or Befrienders Kuala Lumpur (03-7627 2929 /email sam@ centres in malaysia).
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Billy Joel reveals he twice attempted suicide after affair with best friend's wife
NEW YORK — In his upcoming documentary for HBO, Billy Joel reveals that he twice attempted suicide, even landing in a coma, following a messy affair with his best friend's wife that left him wracked with guilt. The 76-year-old Piano Man recalls the painful period — and the love triangle involving his former bandmate Jon Small and Small's then-wife, Elizabeth Weber — in 'Billy Joel: And So It Goes,' which premiered this week at the Tribeca Festival. Joel says he was in his early 20s and living with the couple when he fell 'in love' with Weber, who would later become his first wife. 'I felt very, very guilty about it. They had a child. I felt like a homewrecker,' Joel says. 'I was just in love with a woman and I got punched in the nose, which I deserved. Jon was very upset. I was very upset.' The fallout led to the end of their band, Attila, while Weber severed her relationships with both men. Left grieving and without a place to live, Joel says he fell into a downward spiral of heavy drinking, depression and sleeping in laundromats. 'I was depressed, I think, to the point of almost being psychotic. So I figured, that's it. I don't want to live anymore,' the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer says of wanting to 'end it all.' Joel then overdosed on sleeping pills and wound up in a coma for days on end. His sister, Judy Molinari, a medical assistant at the time, provided him with the pills thinking they'd help him sleep — not knowing he planned to 'take all of them.' 'I went to go see him in the hospital, and he was laying there white as a sheet. I felt that I killed him,' she tearfully recounts in the documentary. That unsuccessful suicide attempt was followed by another when Joel drank a bottle of furniture polish, Molinari says. Despite his fractured relationship with Small at the time, Joel credits his former bandmate for saving his life, saying he was the one who took him to the hospital after the second attempt. The gesture ultimately helped them repair their friendship. Joel eventually moved back into his mother's home and then checked into an observation ward, where he says he realized he could channel his emotions into music. The songs he wrote as a result would become his first solo album, 1971's 'Cold Spring Harbor.' The album produced tracks including 'Tomorrow Is Today,' 'Why Judy Why' and 'She's Got a Way,' the latter of which was inspired by Weber. Joel and Weber also reconciled their relationship and got married, which lasted from 1973 to 1982. She also served as his manager. The raw recollections in the documentary, which is scheduled to hit HBO in July, come amid another difficult period in Joel's life. Late last month, the 'New York State of Mind' crooner announced that he'd been diagnosed with a brain condition known as hydrocephalus, which can lead to symptoms such as vomiting, vision problems, difficulty walking and cognitive impairment. As a result of the diagnosis, Joel was forced to cancel all of his upcoming performances scheduled through July of next year. SiriusXM host Howard Stern said earlier this week that he'd had dinner with Joel, who told him he could assure his listeners he's 'not dying.'
