Billy Joel is on the mend amid his “scary” battle with the rare brain disorder normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH).
“He’s doing physical therapy regularly and he’s doing great,” Joel’s daughter Alexa Ray told the Hollywood Reporter during an interview published Thursday. “He’s lost weight as he’s on his diet.”
She continued, “I’m so proud of him. He’s such a trooper, so resilient and committed to being healthy and proactive. He’s a fighter. He’s always been a fighter and talks in his documentary about how life’s like a fight.”
The “Piano Man” singer, 76, shares Alexa Ray, 40, with his ex-wife Christie Brinkley. He also shares daughters Della Rose, 10, and Remy Anne, 8, with his current wife, Alexis Roderick.
Alexa Ray’s interview with THR came just hours before her dad was to be honored at Carnegie Hall’s “The Music of Billy Joel” tribute event on Thursday night.
Although a handful of famous faces like Rob Thomas, Wyclef Jean and Gavin DeGraw were announced to be performing at the star-studded fundraiser, Alexa Ray said that she planned to surprise her beloved dad with a special performance of her own.
“He was so excited when he first played Carnegie Hall in the ‘70s, so it’s exciting for him to come back decades later and see amazing artists and his daughter pay tribute to him,” she shared. “It’s a full-circle moment.”
The “Uptown Girl” singer’s oldest daughter also revealed that she was the one to persuade him to attend the special event in the first place.
“I said, ‘Dad, you better be there! This is Carnegie Hall. Everyone’s paying tribute to you, and it’s an amazing group of artists,’” Alexa Ray said of her “homebody” dad.
She added, “He was like, ‘Let me mark that down.’ He’s very organized with his little calendar.”
The “New York State of Mind” singer, meanwhile, was spotted stepping out in the Big Apple on Thursday afternoon just hours before “The Music of Billy Joel” event was set to kick off.
He was seen walking with a cane during the rare outing and killed time at a nearby Four Seasons hotel until heading over to Carnegie Hall.
Joel was forced to cancel a spate of tour performances last year after revealing his shocking NPH diagnosis in May 2025.
However, he went on to release another statement in July 2025 to reassure fans he was doing fine and staying positive about the future amid the startling diagnosis.
“It was scary, but I’m okay,” Joel told People at the time. “I just wanted to let people know, don’t worry about me being deathly ill or anything.”
More recently, the “Movin’ Out” hitmaker surprised fans with his first performance since revealing his NPH brain disorder battle.
Back in January, Joel took the stage during a celebration for the 30th anniversary of Wellington, Fla.
He was joined by his wife and their two daughters, and played his hits “We Didn’t Start the Fire” and “Big Shot.”
“I wasn’t planning on working tonight,” Joel joked after walking to the keyboard with the help of a cane.
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