Billy Joel has revealed he is no longer able to drive.
The update follows his recent diagnosis of a rare brain disorder.
“I’m not permitted to drive anymore,” the music icon shared with the Hollywood Reporter.
As a result, Joel disclosed that he is placing more than 70 of his motorbikes up for auction.
“I ended up with well over a hundred bikes, but you can ride just one at once,” the Uptown Girl singer explained. “I’m approaching my seventies now, and I’ve realised I don’t ride as often as I used to.”
“I don’t want to die like a bug on a windshield. So I thought I’d put a lot of them up for sale.”
The Grammy Award winner noted that his Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH) diagnosis “renders driving a bit uncertain,” prompting him to conclude that it was time “to pass it along to someone else.”
“I love motorcycles. I love riding. I love driving. I love the anonymity that comes with it,” Joel continued. “And I adore the customisation of these bikes, the modifications, the tinkering. I wasn’t a collector; I was truly a rider. So I figured it was just time to let them go.”
Last year, Joel was diagnosed with NPH, a condition that occurs when cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) builds up inside the skull and presses on the brain.
Joel also explained to the outlet that he can’t perform at the moment because his neurologist warned that “every time you do a show, it feels like you’re getting a concussion.”
The Piano Man will need to undergo a series of tests before there’s any chance he can perform again.
