NEED TO KNOW
- Billy Joel reveals he tried suicide twice after he had an affair together with his greatest good friend’s spouse in his new documentary
- After the suicide makes an attempt, the “Vienna” singer checked himself into an “commentary ward” and channeled his feelings into his music
- Joel ended up marrying the lady, Elizabeth Weber, years later
Billy Joel is opening up a couple of darkish interval in his life.
On Wednesday, June 4, the primary a part of the the “Vienna” singer’s new documentary, Billy Joel: And So It Goes, premiered at Tribeca Competition in New York Metropolis.
Throughout the first a part of the documentary, Joel, 76, revealed that he underwent two suicide makes an attempt — and fell right into a coma — after he had an affair together with his former bandmate’s spouse.
In his early 20s, Joel — who was absent from the premiere — was in a band referred to as Attila together with his greatest good friend Jon Small. On the time, he moved in with Small, Elizabeth Weber — who was Small’s spouse on the time — and their son.
“Invoice and I spent lots of time collectively,” Elizabeth mentioned within the documentary, including that it was a “gradual construct.” Then, Small realized one thing was up and Joel got here to him with the reality: “I am in love together with your spouse.”
“I felt very, very responsible about it. That they had a toddler. I felt like a homewrecker,” the “Piano Man” singer mentioned. “I used to be simply in love with a lady and I bought punched within the nostril which I deserved. Jon was very upset. I used to be very upset.”
The struggle was the top of Attila — and the top of their friendship for some time. In the meantime, Elizabeth took off, Joel began consuming and this marked the start of a spiral for the star. (Years later, Elizabeth and Joel reconnected and had been married from 1973-1982.)
“I had no place to stay. I used to be sleeping in laundromats and I used to be depressed I believe to the purpose of just about being psychotic,” he mentioned within the documentary. “So I figured, ‘That’s it. I don’t wish to stay anymore.’ I used to be simply in lots of ache and it was form of like why hang around, tomorrow goes to be similar to at this time is and at this time sucks. So, I simply thought I’d finish all of it.”
A the time, Joel’s sister, Judy Molinari, was working as a medical assistant and he or she gave him sleeping drugs to assist him sleep.
“However Billy determined that he was going to take all of them… he was in a coma for days and days and days,” she mentioned within the documentary, including tearfully: “I went to go see him within the hospital, and he was laying there white as a sheet. I assumed that I’d killed him.”
Joel acknowledged that he was “very egocentric” on the time and remembered waking up within the hospital pondering he wished to do it once more — however this time “proper.”
The following time, he drank a bottle of “lemon Pledge,” Molinari revealed, and Small took him to the hospital.
“Although our friendship was blowing up, Jon saved my life,” Joel mentioned.
Small added, “He by no means actually mentioned something to me, the one sensible reply I may give as to why Billy took it so laborious was as a result of he liked me that a lot and that it killed him to harm me that a lot. Ultimately I forgave him.”
After the suicide makes an attempt, the “We Did not Begin the Fireplace” singer felt like a “misplaced soul” and checked himself into an “commentary ward.” The expertise was life-changing for Joel, who was launched inside a few weeks.
“I bought out of the commentary ward and I assumed to myself, you possibly can make the most of all these feelings to channel that stuff into music,” he mentioned.
Billy Joel: And So It Goes is slated to hit HBO in July.
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