Billy Joel reveals that he twice attempted suicide — sparked by his affair with a band mate’s wife — in his new HBO documentary And So It Goes, and that one of the attempts left him in a coma.
Before he was “The Piano Man,” a twentysomething Joel played in a Long Island hard rock band called Attila alongside his then-best friend Jon Small.
At one point, Joel moved in with Small, his wife Elizabeth Weber, and their young son, during which Joel and Weber spent “a lot of time together” and a “slow build” romance developed.
Joel eventually admitted to Small, “I’m in love with your wife.” “I felt very, very guilty about it.
Trending Stories A postscript to the affair: Joel and Weber eventually reunited, and the pair wedded.
In his new HBO documentary And So It Goes, Billy Joel discloses that he had two suicide attempts, one of which left him in a coma, and that the attempts were prompted by his affair with a bandmate’s wife.
Prior to becoming “The Piano Man,” Joel was in his twenties and played with his then-best friend Jon Small in the hard rock group Attila on Long Island. Joel once lived with Small, his wife Elizabeth Weber, and their young son. During this time, Joel and Weber spent “a lot of time together,” and a “slow build” romance blossomed between them. In the end, Joel told Small, “I’m in love with your wife.”. “.”.
“I was really, really sorry about it. They had a kid. People reports that Joel stated in the documentary, “I felt like a homewrecker.”. “I just fell in love with a woman, and I deserved to be punched in the nose.”. Jon felt really angry. I felt so angry. “.”.
Joel’s best friend ended (temporarily) as a result of the affair, Attila broke up with him, and Joel was forced to leave Small’s home. “I didn’t have a home.”. Joel continued, “I was depressed, I believe to the point of almost being psychotic, and I was sleeping in laundromats.”. “I decided that was it.”. I have given up on living. I was literally in a lot of pain, and I thought, “Why hang out? Tomorrow is going to be just like today, and today is terrible.”. So I just decided to end it all. “”.
Joel had previously been prescribed sleeping pills to help him fall asleep by his sister Judy, who was a medical assistant at the time. Joel made his first attempt at suicide when he “decided that he was going to take them all.”. “.”.
The documentary features Judy’s statement that “he was in a coma for days and days and days.”. He was lying in the hospital, white as a sheet, when I visited him. I believed that I had murdered him. “.”.
In the hospital, Joel woke up, disappointed that his attempt had failed, and vowed to do it “right” the second time. After drinking the entire bottle of the cleaning solution “lemon Pledge,” he claimed that Small, his former best friend, drove him to the hospital. “Jon saved my life, even though our friendship was exploding,” Joel remarked.
“He never really said anything to me, and the only realistic explanation I can think of for why Billy took it so hard is that he loved me so much and that it killed him to hurt me that much,” Small continued in the documentary. I finally decided to forgive him. “.”.
Joel made a decision that altered the course of his life after that attempt: he checked himself into an observation ward for a few weeks. Joel stated, “After leaving the observation ward, I realized that you could use all of those feelings to express them through music.”.
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A sequel to the affair: Weber and Joel eventually got back together and got married. 1973 to 1982 was the length of the marriage.
