Billy Joel Attempted Suicide Twice and Fell into a Coma After Affair with Friend's Wife. Why He Wanted to 'End It All'

Billy Joel is opening up astir a acheronian play successful his life.

On Wednesday, June 4, nan first portion of nan the "Vienna" singer's caller documentary, Billy Joel: And So It Goes, premiered astatine Tribeca Festival successful New York City.

During nan first portion of nan documentary, Joel, 76, revealed that he underwent 2 termination attempts — and fell into a coma — aft he had an matter pinch his erstwhile bandmate's wife.

In his early 20s, Joel — who was absent from nan premiere — was successful a set called Attila pinch his champion friend Jon Small. At nan time, he moved successful pinch Small, Elizabeth Weber — who was Small's woman astatine nan clip — and their son.

"Bill and I spent a batch of clip together," Elizabeth said successful nan documentary, adding that it was a "slow build." Then, Small realized thing was up and Joel came to him pinch nan truth: "I'm successful emotion pinch your wife."

"I felt very, very blameworthy astir it. They had a child. I felt for illustration a homewrecker,” the "Piano Man" vocalist said. “I was conscionable successful emotion pinch a female and I sewage punched successful nan chemoreceptor which I deserved. Jon was very upset. I was very upset."

The conflict was nan extremity of Attila — and nan extremity of their relationship for a while. Meanwhile, Elizabeth took off, Joel started drinking and this marked nan opening of a spiral for nan star. (Years later, Elizabeth and Joel reconnected and were joined from 1973-1982.)

“I had nary spot to live. I was sleeping successful laundromats and I was depressed I deliberation to nan constituent of almost being psychotic," he said successful nan documentary. "So I figured, 'That’s it. I don’t want to unrecorded anymore.' I was conscionable successful a batch of symptom and it was benignant of for illustration why bent out, tomorrow is going to beryllium conscionable for illustration coming is and coming sucks. So, I conscionable thought I’d extremity it all."

A nan time, Joel's sister, Judy Molinari, was moving arsenic a aesculapian adjunct and she gave him sleeping pills to thief him sleep.

“But Billy decided that he was going to return each of them… he was successful a coma for days and days and days," she said successful nan documentary, adding tearfully: "I went to spell spot him successful nan hospital, and he was laying there white arsenic a sheet. I thought that I’d killed him."

Joel acknowledged that he was "very selfish" astatine nan clip and remembered waking up successful nan infirmary reasoning he wanted to do it again — but this clip "right."

The adjacent time, he drank a vessel of "lemon Pledge," Molinari revealed, and Small took him to nan hospital.

“Even though our relationship was blowing up, Jon saved my life,” Joel said.

Small added, "He ne'er really said thing to me, nan only applicable reply I tin springiness arsenic to why Billy took it truthful difficult was because he loved maine that overmuch and that it killed him to wounded maine that much. Eventually I forgave him."

After nan termination attempts, nan "We Didn't Start nan Fire" vocalist felt for illustration a "lost soul" and checked himself into an "observation ward." The acquisition was life-changing for Joel, who was released wrong a mates of weeks.

"I sewage retired of nan study ward and I thought to myself, you tin utilize each those emotions to transmission that worldly into music," he said.

Billy Joel: And So It Goes is slated to deed HBO successful July.

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