Billy Joel’s Litany of Grim Suicide Attempts Laid Bare As Fears Grow Brain Condition May Inflict 'Lasting Harm' on Tormented Piano Man

During the Tribeca premiere of the new documentary, Billy Joel: And So It Goes, the legendary singer revealed he tried to take his life after he had an affair with the wife of his friend and former Atilla bandmate Jon Small.

At the time, Joel was living with Small, his wife Elizabeth Weber, and their young son. Joel would eventually marry Weber, but he always felt bad about the catalyst of their relationship.

"I felt very, very guilty about it. They had a child. I felt like a homewrecker," Joel said. "I was just in love with a woman, and I got punched in the nose, which I deserved. Jon was very upset. I was very upset."

The Vienna singer went on to share he fell into a deep depression – eventually leading to him considering the worst.

"I figured, 'That’s it. I don’t want to live anymore.' I was just in a lot of pain and it was sort of like, 'Why hang out? Tomorrow is going to be just like today is and today sucks.' So, I just thought I’d end it all."

Joel first overdosed on sleeping pills, and was in a coma for days. He remembered waking up in the hospital thinking he wanted to do it again — but this time "right."

The next time, he drank a bottle of "Lemon Pledge" and was rushed to the hospital. The failed attempts led Joel to check into an "observation ward" for several weeks, a decision he described as "life-changing."

Now Joel is in another battle – this time with NPH, a condition that is causing issues with his hearing, eyesight, and coordination and has already led to the cancelation of his upcoming concerts through next July.

An insider exclusively told Radar: "Billy hasn’t been well for some time. He’s been stumbling around and acting strangely, and he did fall on stage not too long ago."

In February, Joel lost his balance and crashed to the floor while belting It's Still Rock and Roll to Me during a show in Connecticut.

As one attendee remarked about that incident: "He looked frail hobbling across the stage... I was really very concerned about him throughout the concert."

A month later, the Uptown Girl singer announced that he was taking a four-month hiatus from performing because of an undisclosed "medical condition" requiring surgery.