{"id":172952,"date":"2025-06-06T15:23:43","date_gmt":"2025-06-06T15:23:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/06\/billy-joel-opens-up-about-multiple-suicide-attempts-following-affair-with-friends-wife\/"},"modified":"2025-06-06T15:23:43","modified_gmt":"2025-06-06T15:23:43","slug":"billy-joel-opens-up-about-multiple-suicide-attempts-following-affair-with-friends-wife","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/06\/billy-joel-opens-up-about-multiple-suicide-attempts-following-affair-with-friends-wife\/","title":{"rendered":"Billy Joel Opens Up About Multiple Suicide Attempts Following Affair With Friend&#8217;s Wife"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 3<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Billy Joel is opening up for the first time about a very dark chapter in his life.<\/p>\n<p>A new documentary about the rock legend titled <em>Billy Joel: And So It Goes<\/em> premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival this week.<\/p>\n<p>And it contains scenes in which Joel admits to nearly taking his own life after having an affair with the wife of his best friend.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><noscript><\/noscript><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"718\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-2183952441-1024x718.jpg\" alt=\"Billy Joel performs at Allegiant Stadium on November 09, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. \" class=\"wp-image-527262 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-2183952441-1024x718.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-2183952441-300x210.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-2183952441-768x539.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-2183952441-2048x1437.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-2183952441-960x673.jpg 960w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-2183952441-1080x758.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-2183952441-1200x842.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 20px), 720px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-2183952441-scaled.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Billy Joel performs at Allegiant Stadium on November 09, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. <span class=\"image-caption-credit\"> (Photo by Ethan Miller\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-a-tumultuous-time-for-billy-joel\">A tumultuous time for Billy Joel<\/h2>\n<p>In his early 20s, Joel formed a band called Attila with his friend Jon Small. He later moved in with Small, his wife, Elizabeth, and their son.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBill and I spent a lot of time together,\u201d Elizabeth said in the documentary, adding that their affection for one another was a \u201cslow build\u201d (per <em><a href=\"http:\/\/%22I%20got%20out%20of%20the%20observation%20ward%20and%20I%20thought%20to%20myself,%20you%20can%20utilize%20all%20those%20emotions%20to%20channel%20that%20stuff%20into%20music,%22%20he%20said.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">People<\/a><\/em> magazine).<\/p>\n<p> Eventually, Joel came to his friend with the truth: \u201cI\u2019m in love with your wife.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI felt very, very guilty about it. They had a child. I felt like a homewrecker,\u201d Joel says in the film. \u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"697\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-1156490312-697x1024.jpg\" alt=\"American singer-songwriter, composer and pianist Billy Joel performing live, UK, 7th June 1984. \" class=\"wp-image-527263\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-1156490312-697x1024.jpg 697w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-1156490312-204x300.jpg 204w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-1156490312-768x1128.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-1156490312-1394x2048.jpg 1394w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-1156490312-653x960.jpg 653w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-1156490312-735x1080.jpg 735w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-1156490312-817x1200.jpg 817w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-1156490312-scaled.jpg 1742w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 20px), 720px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"697\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-1156490312-697x1024.jpg\" alt=\"American singer-songwriter, composer and pianist Billy Joel performing live, UK, 7th June 1984. \" class=\"wp-image-527263 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-1156490312-697x1024.jpg 697w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-1156490312-204x300.jpg 204w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-1156490312-768x1128.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-1156490312-1394x2048.jpg 1394w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-1156490312-653x960.jpg 653w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-1156490312-735x1080.jpg 735w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-1156490312-817x1200.jpg 817w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-1156490312-scaled.jpg 1742w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 20px), 720px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-1156490312-scaled.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">American singer-songwriter, composer and pianist Billy Joel performing live, UK, 7th June 1984. <span class=\"image-caption-credit\"> (Photo by Ted Bath\/Daily Express\/Hulton Archive\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-joel-says-he-nearly-took-his-own-life-amid-guilt-of-affair\">Joel says he nearly took his own life amid guilt of affair<\/h2>\n<p>Joel, of course, was kicked out of Small\u2019s home, and he says it was then that he entered the lowest point of his life.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI had no place to live. I was sleeping in laundromats and I was depressed I think to the point of almost being psychotic,\u201d he said in the documentary. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo I figured, \u2018That\u2019s it. I don\u2019t want to live anymore.\u2019 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\u2019d end it all.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At the time, Joel\u2019s sister, Judy Molinari, was working as a medical assistant, and she gave him some sleeping pills for his insomnia.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut Billy decided that he was going to take all of them\u2026 he was in a coma for days and days and days,\u201d she said in the film, adding: <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-1986255902-1-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Billy Joel attends the 66th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 04, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.\" class=\"wp-image-527264\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-1986255902-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-1986255902-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-1986255902-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-1986255902-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-1986255902-1-960x640.jpg 960w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-1986255902-1-1080x720.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-1986255902-1-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 20px), 720px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-1986255902-1-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Billy Joel attends the 66th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 04, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.\" class=\"wp-image-527264 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-1986255902-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-1986255902-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-1986255902-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-1986255902-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-1986255902-1-960x640.jpg 960w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-1986255902-1-1080x720.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-1986255902-1-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 20px), 720px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-1986255902-1-scaled.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Billy Joel attends the 66th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 04, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.<span class=\"image-caption-credit\"> (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer\/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cI went to go see him in the hospital, and he was laying there white as a sheet. I thought that I\u2019d killed him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Once he was out of the hospital, the singer drank \u201ca bottle of Lemon Pledge\u201d in a second attempt to take his own life. Joel says it was Small\u2019s forgiveness that eventually pulled him out of his deep depression.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEven though our friendship was blowing up, Jon saved my life,\u201d Joel said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe 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,\u201d Small said.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-hard-times-weren-t-over\">The hard times weren\u2019t over<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-1258354954-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"Billy Joel announces the end of his residency at Madison Square Garden in 2024 during a press conference on June 1, 2023, in New York.\" class=\"wp-image-527269\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-1258354954-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-1258354954-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-1258354954-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-1258354954-2048x1364.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-1258354954-960x640.jpg 960w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-1258354954-1080x720.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-1258354954-1200x799.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 20px), 720px\"\/><\/noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-1258354954-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"Billy Joel announces the end of his residency at Madison Square Garden in 2024 during a press conference on June 1, 2023, in New York.\" class=\"wp-image-527269 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-1258354954-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-1258354954-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-1258354954-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-1258354954-2048x1364.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-1258354954-960x640.jpg 960w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-1258354954-1080x720.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-1258354954-1200x799.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 20px), 720px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-1258354954-scaled.jpg\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Billy Joel announces the end of his residency at Madison Square Garden in 2024 during a press conference on June 1, 2023, in New York.<span class=\"image-caption-credit\"> (Photo by ANGELA WEISS\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Billy and Elizabeth reconnected years later. They married in 1973 but divorced nine years later.<\/p>\n<p>In the decades that followed, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehollywoodgossip.com\/2025\/05\/christie-brinkley-billy-joel-alcoholism\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Joel battled alcoholism<\/a> and married three more times.<\/p>\n<p>He was recently forced to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehollywoodgossip.com\/2025\/05\/billy-joel-reveals-brain-disorder-cancels-all-remaining-concerts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">cancel his upcoming tour due to a neurological disorder<\/a>, but the Piano Man remains as popular as ever, and recent years have seen a resurgence of interest in his vast body of work.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI got out of the observation ward, and I thought to myself, you can utilize all those emotions to channel that stuff into music,\u201d he said of his darkest days.<\/p>\n<p>And Joel has spent the past 50 years transforming his many ups and downs into art that\u2019s delighted millions.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehollywoodgossip.com\/2025\/06\/billy-joel-opens-up-about-multiple-suicide-attempts-following-affair-with-friends-wife\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Reading Time: 3 minutes Billy Joel is opening up for the first time about a very dark chapter in his life. A new documentary about the rock legend titled Billy Joel: And So It Goes premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival this week. And it contains scenes in which Joel admits to nearly taking his [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":172953,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-172952","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-hollywood"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172952","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=172952"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172952\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/172953"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=172952"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=172952"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=172952"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}