Billy Joel says he can’t drive due to health; to auction his motorcycle collection

Billy Joel shared a health update, saying his medical condition and age no longer allow him to drive.

The “Uptown Girl” singer said not only his age but also hydrocephalus are affecting his balance.

“I have to take a series of tests before I know. I can’t drive right now. I’m not allowed to drive,” Joel told The Hollywood Reporter.

His doctors also told him he should not perform right now.

“What the neurologist told me, every time you do a show, it’ slike you’re getting a concussion,” he explained.

He said the extreme volume, lighting, stress, and energy he uses all add up.

Joel canceled the 2025-2026 tour due to the condition that affected his hearing, vision and balance, Rolling Stone reported.

The Cleveland Clinic says normal pressure hydrocephalus, which was diagnosed in 2025, is when cerebrospinal fluid builds up inside the skull and presses on the brain.

“I know people are worried about me because they read that I have a brain disorder, which sounds a lot worse than it actually is,” he said in a previous interview. “I’m okay. My balance isn’t that good. Lost a little bit of my hearing, but that may have to do with my age, too, and the rock and roll life and the loud volume probably didn’t help. But I’m fine. I want people to not have to worry about me. I’m okay.”

He said he will undergo further testing to determine if he can perform again.

Motorcycle auction

More than 70 bikes from his vast collection of motorcycles will soon go to the auction block to be sold by Gooding Christie’s during the Rétromobile New York auction in November.

Among the bikes is the custom 1978 Triumph Bonneville T140 Madison Square Garden gifted to the singer for his 150th sold-out show at the arena.

The auction proceeds will support the Joel Foundation.

He said he is selling the collection because “I’m into my 70s now, and I realized I can’t ride as much as I used to. I don’t want to die like a bug on a windshield. So I thought I’d put a lot of them on auction.”

Joel said he has more than a hundred motorcycles but that he “can only ride one at a time.”

He said the crown jewel of the collection is a Moto Guzzi California Vintage 1100 that he bought in 2007.

The Piano Man also operated 205h Century Cycles on Long Island, where Joel stored and worked on the bikes. It was also a free museum for his collection, but closed in 2025, Rolling Stone reported.

You can see some of the motorcycles Joel’s putting up for auction here.

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