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Billy Joel set the record straight on longstanding rumors that he was charged with driving under the influence.
The “Piano Man” addressed the DUI allegations in his new, two-part HBO documentary, “Billy Joel: And So It Goes.”
Joel, 76, who was recently diagnosed with a brain disorder, was involved in a number of car accidents over the years, but denied that alcohol had any involvement.
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Billy Joel denied ever receiving a DUI despite long-persisting rumors. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
“I didn’t like the tabloid kind of press. For example, there’s this rumor that I have all these DUIs,” Joel said, per People magazine. “That never happened.”
He added, “But people keep repeating the myth. ‘Oh, he’s got so many DUIs.’ I never had a DUI. So f— you.”
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Joel asserted that “the press can be mean,” and admitted that “having that much attention paid to you is not easy.”
The “Movin’ Out” musician crashed his car multiple times in a three-year span beginning in 2002. He told the New York Times magazine in 2013 that the incidents were due to his “mental fog,” not being under the influence.
The “Piano Man” was involved in a string of car collisions in the early 2000s. (Larry Busacca/Getty Images)
“I never had a DUI in my life. That’s another fallacy. Look at the police records,” he told the outlet. “My mind wasn’t right. I wasn’t focused. I went into a deep, deep depression after 9/11. 9/11 just knocked the wind out of me, and I don’t know even now if I’ve recovered from it.
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“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.”
Joel revealed his normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) diagnosis in May, and said that the condition had been “exacerbated by recent concert performances, leading to problems with hearing, vision and balance.”
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The statement at the time continued, “Under his doctor’s instructions, Billy is undergoing specific physical therapy and has been advised to refrain from performing during this recovery period. Billy is thankful for the excellent care he is receiving and is fully committed to prioritizing his health.”
NPH is a condition that happens when cerebrospinal fluid builds up inside the skull and presses on the brain. This condition is most likely to occur in people over age 65. Treating this condition involves surgery to implant a shunt to drain excess fluid from the inside of the skull, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
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Joel canceled all of his tour dates earlier this year to recover from a “recent surgery and to undergo physical therapy under the supervision of his doctors.”
Joel was previously married to supermodel Christie Brinkley. (Robin Platzer/Images/Getty Images)
The “We Didn’t Star the Fire” musician married his fourth wife, Alexis Roderick, during a surprise wedding on July 4, 2015. The couple has two daughters together.
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