Billy Joel penned a “difficult” tribute to his late best friend and longtime collaborator, Jon Small, just days after revealing he underwent brain surgery.
The 77-year-old revealed on Tuesday, September 8, that he had surgery to relieve some of the symptoms of normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), which he announced he had been diagnosed with last May.
Just two days later, the “Piano Man” singer shared a lengthy statement on Instagram in honor of Jon, who died Friday, September 4, after taking “a few days to gather my thoughts.”
“Jon was like a brother to me. No matter the distance or how much time passed, we shared a bond that never changed,” Billy penned.
“Jon and I were just kids when we decided we wanted to become professional musicians together. That decision became a turning point in both of our lives,” he continued.
“We took a huge gamble on a life of creativity, without knowing where it would lead us. Jon went on to build a successful company and create extraordinary work in film and television, but at the end of the day, we were still those two kids who formed a band together.
“Jon was part of my career long after he stopped playing music. In so many ways, he was a founding member of it. We made that first decision together – to take a chance on ourselves and devote our lives to creating – and it changed everything that came after.”
Billy said that what he and Jon shared “went far beyond music or careers. Jon saved my life, metaphorically and physically.”
He added that their “lives and families became intertwined,” that he is the stepfather of Jon’s son, and has “remained close” with Jon’s wife, Jeanine, and their families.
© Instagram“He wasn’t simply my oldest friend. He was family,” Billy added. “Losing Jon has hit me in a way I have never experienced. It is difficult to imagine this world without him in it.
Describing Jon as “kind, humble, and enormously talented,” Billy concluded: “I will miss him terribly. A part of me will always be with him, and a part of Jon will always be with me.”
Billy initially shared the news of Jon’s death with a black-and-white photo of them in their younger years, captioned “RIP Jon Small,” before returning on Thursday with his lengthy tribute.
Billy’s brain surgery
© Getty ImagesJon’s death comes after Billy said he had a shunt implanted in his brain so his symptoms of NPH, a condition in which cerebrospinal fluid builds up inside or around your brain and can affect hearing, vision and balance, did not continue to get worse.
“I realized it can help improve your balance and can help your memory,” he said on SiriusXM’s Billy Joel channel. “You know, I don’t want to lose my marbles. It’s hard to tell what’s age and what’s a condition, so I agreed to do the shunt and I had a surgery.”
© Getty ImagesIt was a successful procedure, as Billy revealed his “memory got better, my balance got a little better, my ability to function was better.”
Reassuring his fans that he expects to make a full recovery, he added: “I just want people to know, don’t worry about me. I’m not going anywhere. I’m here. I’m still here.”
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