Billy Joel’s private life is also the subject of the documentary on the musician, Billy Joel: And So It Goes. In the first part of the documentary, the five-time Grammy-winner explores some of his dark past, including an affair and two suicide attempts. The documentary aired at the Tribeca Festival, following which it will be made available on HBO and Max in July.
In the feature directed by Lacy and Jessica Levin, Joel detailed an affair with the wife of his best friend. Jon Small was his bandmate in his 20s, performing for their band called Attila. At the time, Joel was living with Small, his wife Elizabeth Weber, and their son.
Billy Joel detailed his affair in the new documentary
Billy Joel: And So It Goes pulls the curtain on Billy Joel‘s private world, including his dark past. The documentary shed light on his affair with Elizabeth Weber, his best friend’s wife. Weber, who appeared in the documentary, shared that she spent a lot of time around Joel at the time, when the Vienna singer was living with them.
She shared that it was a “slow build” of a romance, and Small eventually suspected something was going on between them (via PEOPLE). Joel confessed to Small, “I’m in love with your wife.” Joel acknowledged that he felt very guilty about his affair. He shared, “They had a child. I felt like a homewrecker.”
Small was furious to hear about the affair, and he punched Joel in the nose. Joel recalled in the documentary, “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.” It was the end of their band, and Small didn’t speak to him for a while.
However, Small came to his rescue when Joel drank a bottle of “lemon Pledge” in an attempt to commit suicide. It was his second attempt at his own life, after he took all of the sleeping pills that his sister gave him to help him sleep. Joel was depressed and figured that he didn’t want to live anymore. He shared:
I had no place to live. 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.
He was grateful to Small for saving his life, saying, “Even though our friendship was blowing up, Jon saved my life.” Small appeared in the documentary and shared that Joel took it so hard because “he loved me that much and that it killed him to hurt me that much.” Small added that he eventually forgave him.
Weber left Small after the incident and didn’t have contact with Joel for a long time. However, reconnected sometime afterwards and got married in 1973. Their relationship lasted until 1982.
Billy Joel shared a message to fans at the Tribeca Festival
Billy Joel was notably absent when the documentary premiered at the Tribeca Festival. Earlier this year, Joel canceled his upcoming concerts and tours. He announced to the world that he was diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH).
It is a brain disorder caused by excess fluid building up in the ventricles of the brain. It will lead to neurological symptoms and typically affects people over the age of 60. While this diagnosis may have stopped him from attending the premiere of his documentary, it isn’t putting off his spirits.
Susan Lacy, the film’s co-director, carried a message from Joel to fans at the festival. Lacy shared, “We know Billy wishes he were here tonight, and he asked us to convey that to you all. In fact, he said, ‘Getting old sucks, but it’s preferable to getting cremated’” (via Deadline). She also added that the musician “will be back.”
Robert De Niro, a co-founder of the Tribeca Festival, shared that Joel was an integral part of the heartbeat of New York.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
