Billy Joel reveals he attempted suicide twice after betraying his best friend

Billy Joel has revealed that he attempted suicide twice after having an affair with his best friend’s wife.

The singer-songwriter, 76, is currently being treated for a rare brain disorder that forced him to cancel his tour of the US, as well as his two scheduled shows in the UK.

He is now the subject of a new documentary, Billy Joel: And So It Goes, the first part of which premiered at Tribeca Festival in New York City on Thursday (5 June).

According to US media reports, Joel discloses in the film that he attempted suicide twice and fell into a coma after having an affair with the wife of his former Attila bandmate, Jon Small.

Joel and Small formed the band in their early twenties, with the future “Piano Man” star moving in with Small, his wife Elizabeth Weber and their son.

“Bill and I spent a lot of time together,” Weber said in the documentary, adding that their relationship was a “slow build”.

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When Small began to suspect that something was going on between the two, Joel apparently confessed: “I’m in love with your wife.”

“I felt very, very guilty about it,” he said, People reports. “They had a child. I felt like a homewrecker. 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 ensuing fight resulted in the break-up of Attila, as well as the end of Joel and Small’s friendship for some time.

Joel began drinking heavily, falling into a self-destructive spiral. “I had no place to live,” he said. “I was sleeping in laundromats and I was depressed I think to the point of almost being psychotic.

“So 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.”

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Joel’s sister, Judy Molinari, recalled the musician being in a coma “for days and days and days” after his suicide attempt: “I went to go see him in the hospital, and he was laying there white as a sheet.”

The singer-songwriter recovered but then attempted to take his own life a second time, which led to Small taking him to the hospital.

“Even though our friendship was blowing up, Jon saved my life,” Joel said.

Small added: “He never really said anything to me, the only practical answer I can give as to why Billy took it so hard was because he loved me that much and that it killed him to hurt me that much. Eventually I forgave him.”

Joel had a “life-changing” experience when he checked himself into an observation ward after recovering a second time, following which he realised: “You can utilise all those emotions to channel that stuff into music.”

He and Weber later reconnected and were married from 1973 to 1982. Joel has been married to his third wife, Alexis Roderick Joel, since 2015.

While he did not attend the documentary screening himself, the documentary’s co-director shared a message from him to the audience in attendance.

Billy Joel: And So It Goes is scheduled to be released by HBO in July.

If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.

If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call the National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.