Billy Joel shares health update and discusses his motorcycle collection

Billy Joel is selling his motorcycle collection as he continues to navigate his normal pressure hydrocephalus diagnosis.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published Thursday (Oct. 15), the New York native discussed selling his bikes and provided a health update. He remains unsure whether he can perform onstage, revealing, “I have to take a series of tests before I know.”

“I can’t drive right now,” he continued. “I’m not allowed to drive. And I can’t do performances because what the neurologist told me, every time you do a show, it’s like you’re getting a concussion.”

Joel attributed the dangers of performing to the volume required for rock concerts. “Rock ‘n’ roll is loud, man,” he told the publication. “Rock ‘n’ roll made me deaf already. So it’s the lighting, the sound, the stress of the show, the audience, the energy of the performance. There’s a lot going on when you’re on stage. And they said, “Well, you really shouldn’t be doing that right now.’ So they have to test me further to see if I can go back and do performing again, which I would like to be able to do.”

The Piano Man first announced that he had normal pressure hydrocephalus in spring 2025, which led to the cancellation of his previously scheduled 2025-2026 tour. According to the Cleveland Clinic, NPH is a brain disorder that occurs when cerebrospinal fluid builds up inside the skull and presses on the brain, affecting several brain-related abilities, including thinking, concentration, memory, and movement.

“It sounds a lot worse than what I’m feeling,” Joel assured fans in an interview on Bill Maher’s Club Random Podcast in July last year.

In addition to performing, the disorder has prevented him from riding his many motorcycles. He told THR that he has amassed more than a hundred over the years. Joel also turned 77 this year.

“I’m into my 70s now, and I realized I can’t ride as much as I used to,” he explained. “I don’t want to die like a bug on a windshield.”

The bikes will be sold at Gooding Christie’s Rétromobile auction on Nov. 20-21 at the Javits Center in New York.