In a new documentary, “Billy Joel: And So It Goes,” the iconic musician reveals the anguish and guilt he experienced after falling in love with the wife of his best friend and bandmate, Jon Small, during the formative years of his career.
In their early 20s, Joel was living with Small, his wife Elizabeth Weber, and their young son while the two men performed as a duo called Attila. The living arrangement soon became complicated.
“I was just in love with a woman, and I got punched in the nose, which I deserved,” Joel states in the documentary. “I felt very, very guilty about it. They had a child, you know? I felt like a homewrecker.”
Small recounts the painful moment Joel confessed his feelings. “Billy one day came up to me… and said to me, ‘I’m in love with your wife.’ So, it was a very devastating thing for me because these were basically my two best friends.” He added that Joel was crying and expressed that Weber’s pull was so powerful “it was worth it to him to lose our friendship for it.”
The revelation led to the immediate end of their band, and for a time, their friendship. In the aftermath, Joel spiraled into a deep depression, leading to two suicide attempts. “I figured that’s it. I don’t want to live anymore,” Joel recalls. “It was just a lot of pain.”
In a poignant turn of events, it was Small who took Joel to the hospital after his second attempt. “Even though our friendship had blown up, Jon saved my life,” Joel said.
Small eventually found it in himself to forgive his friend. “He thought it was over for him, but, to me, he didn’t even start living yet,” Small reflected.
About a year later, Joel and Weber reconnected after she heard a cassette of songs he had written about their separation. “Hearing those songs was overwhelming,” Weber admitted. “It was stunning that he could accomplish something like that.” The couple married in 1973 and divorced in 1982.
The documentary also addresses Joel’s more recent health struggles. Earlier this year, the 76-year-old five-time Grammy winner was diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), a brain condition caused by a buildup of cerebrospinal fluid. The diagnosis, which has affected his hearing, vision, and balance, forced him to cancel all scheduled concerts.
Steve Cohen, a longtime collaborator and the documentary’s executive producer, told Fox News Digital he remains hopeful Joel will perform again. “I always look at it as a gift when he walks on stage,” Cohen said. “I can’t predict.”
Cohen noted Joel’s fulfilling personal life as a potential factor in his decision. “He’s got two beautiful kids… He’s got a great wife. He’s got a great life. Like, he’s 76. He doesn’t have to do s—… So, I don’t know, fingers crossed.”
Part one of “Billy Joel: And So it Goes” premieres Friday, July 18, on HBO and will be available to stream on HBO Max. The second part will be released on Friday, July 25.
Source link
