Billy Joel was expected to attend the world premiere of his documentary Billy Joel: And So It Goes at the Tribeca Festival on Wednesday night. However, the music legend was absent due to health concerns following his recent diagnosis with Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus, a brain disorder that affects balance and mobility.
Despite his absence, directors Susan Lacy and Jessica Levin shared a personal message from Joel and assured fans of his resilience. “He will be back,” Lacy told the crowd. Joel’s own words, read aloud, carried his trademark wit: “Getting old sucks, but it’s still preferable to getting cremated.”
Earlier this year, Joel canceled 17 concert dates in North America and the UK as he began treatment involving “specific physical therapy.”
The documentary, produced by HBO, offers an intimate look into Joel’s early struggles in the music industry, his rise to stardom, and his often complicated relationship with fame. Featuring rare home videos, performance clips, and candid interviews, the film includes appearances by close friends and collaborators such as Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Pink, Garth Brooks, and Joel’s ex-wife and former manager, Elizabeth Weber.
Lacy said Joel gave the filmmakers full freedom to be honest in telling his story. “It wasn’t always easy,” she said. “But he peeled back the layers with courage, humor, and vulnerability. Billy’s music reaches across geography and generations, and in a divided world, it’s a privilege to celebrate someone who has connected us through his songs.”
Tribeca co-founders Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal introduced the premiere at Manhattan’s Beacon Theatre. “Billy may be considered the poet laureate of New York,” De Niro said. “You feel the essence of our city in his lyrics.”
The premiere drew notable attendees including Tom Hanks and Whoopi Goldberg, followed by an afterparty at Tavern on the Green.
Billy Joel: And So It Goes is a two-part HBO documentary. Only the first part was shown at Tribeca due to time constraints. The full series will air on HBO and stream on Max later this summer.
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