Billy Joel, the pianist who performed with Piano Man, admitted he was “genuinely hurt” by Sir Elton John’s comment after the pair’s tour, in which he revealed there was “bad blood.”
Billy Joel has revealed he was left “really hurt” by comments from Sir Elton John, despite their once friendly relationship. The Piano Man, 76, once toured with Sir Elton but things turned sour.
Billy and the 78-year-old Rocketman hitmaker scuffled, which lasted for years. Billy has now revealed that Elton’s comments in his newest film Billy Joel: And So It Goes caused him pain.
The pair headed out on their Face to Face tour in 1994 but they suffered a number of cancelled shows. Sir Elton decided to address the reason for the shows not taking place, with Billy feeling he went a step too far.
Billy claimed in the documentary that “Elton had made a comment that he thought I needed real rehab.” He remarked, “Oh, he’s a drunk. ” And I was really hurt by that.
Sir Elton said to the Rolling Stone at the time, “Even though he’s going to hate me for this, they’ve always been light” He claimed to have “tough love” Billy.
Billy had been struggling with alcoholism and once admitted it destroyed his 10 year marriage to Christine Brinkley. The couple officially divorce around the same time as the Face to Face tour.
Billy said, “wait a minute, I said, wait a minute,” in reference to the fallout with Sir Elton. Do you not know me better than that? And there was a little bit of bad blood. There were numerous things that went on at the time.
After the comments, he revealed that he felt “clobbered” and hit his breaking point. As a result, his relationship with Sir Elton also suffered.
Billy said, “I was dissatisfied with what I believed it was all supposed to mean.” “It seemed like I was getting enough, all the signs were pointing.” And I sent the band this letter. I’m not going to do this any more. I’m gonna stop'”.
After his wife Katie Lee resisted, Billy entered rehab at the Betty Ford Clinic in 2005. Four years after their breakup, Billy made the decision to re-run the Face to Face tour.
Billy gave it a run-in throughout the 2000s, with a return performance in 2010 before wrapping up. While performing at the 2013 Songwriters Hall of Fame, he managed to work things out with Sir Elton.
Sir Elton apologized to Billy while he was performing: “Mr. Joel, I haven’t seen you tonight, but I love you dearly. When Billy took to the stage, he said, “Is Elton still here? ” By the way, we are fine. Call me, because our number is the same.
Billy recently confirmed he has now given up alcohol as he blamed his addiction for his normal pressure hydrocephalus diagnosis. According to the NHS, NPH is an uncommon and poorly understood condition that most often affects people over the age of 60.
It occasionally develops following a stroke or a broken leg, but in most cases the cause is unknown. Mobility issues, dementia, and urinary incontinence are the main signs.
Billy was forced to cancel all his scheduled shows earlier this month due to the condition. He has been suffering with hearing, vision and balance problems following a number of previous performances.
If you are struggling with alcohol abuse or addiction, advice and support can be found at alcoholchange.org.uk
Source: Mirror
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