'The Lifestyle Has Caught Up With Him': Billy Joel's Pals Worried About Piano Man's Recovery After Being Ordered On Vocal Rest
Dec. 28 2022, Published 7:30 p.m. ET
Worried fans fear they may not hear Billy Joel for The Longest Time after the aging rocker was forced to cancel a December Madison Square Garden gig due to a viral infection, RadarOnline.com has learned.
The 73-year-old Piano Man was under doctor's orders to rest his vocal cords, and no one knows how long a recovery will take. "Billy's voice has been battered by years of touring and his monthly residency at Madison Square Garden," a source close to Joel said.
"He's also been an admitted drinker over the years."
Billy posted he "was hoping to be closer to a full recovery by now," but "sadly, that hasn't happened." Still, the beloved balladeer promised to be back performing soon.
"I look forward to seeing you in the New Year," he vowed earlier this month, but sources are saying that isn't for sure.
They allege that Joel's past is coming back to haunt him.
"The rock 'n' roll lifestyle seems to have caught up with him," the insider shared. "People are warning Billy he'd better take it easy or face the consequences."
Joel's concert series at MSG is set to resume on January 13, but that's not all he has up his sleeve. In between his Big Apple shows, the legendary singer has planned to team up with Stevie Nicks for a United States tour.
Their joint Two Icons One Night tour is supposed to kick off at Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium on March 10.
The We Didn't Start The Fire singer has been doing his MSG residency in his Billy Joel at The Garden since 2014, playing at the venue once a week. This isn't the first time Joel has been out of commission.
Following the height of the pandemic, he returned to the stage 50 pounds lighter after undergoing surgery.
"I had back surgery early this year and the pain afterwards was so bad I lost my appetite," Joel told Howard Stern in 2021. "I embraced that, I said, 'Okay, I won't eat as much' and I ate less and less and less and less and then there was just life aggravation and that tends to, you know, impact your appetite too."
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