A week after Billy Joel revealed he had undergone brain surgery, his publicist addressed an error that reportedly led Google users to believe the singer had died.
A representative for the 77-year-old confirmed in an email to USA TODAY on Thursday, Sept. 17, that the musician is still alive.
Earlier in the day, several social media users expressed confusion about whether the "Piano Man" singer was alive. At least one screenshot shared online appeared to show a Google search result listing Sept. 17 as Joel's date of death. Separately, one X user alleged the same date appeared on Joel's Wikipedia page.
USA TODAY reached out to Google and Wikipedia for comment.
The confusion comes after Joel discussed his health on SiriusXM’s The Billy Joel Channel
on Sept. 9 and sought to reassure fans. "I just want people to know, don't worry about me," he said. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm still here."
He explained on the show that he initially resisted his medical team's recommendation to undergo surgery to implant a shunt in his brain.
"I didn't want to do that, but then I read up on it, and I realized it can help improve your balance and can help your memory. You know, I don't want to lose my marbles," Joel said. "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 ... and it actually improved things. My memory got better, my balance got a little better, my ability to function was better."
In May 2025, Joel canceled his scheduled stadium shows in 2025 and 2026 following his diagnosis of the brain disorder normal pressure hydrocephalus, which he explained was "exacerbated by recent concert performances, leading to problems with hearing, vision, and balance."
The "Uptown Girl" singer returned to the stage in January, joining a cover band in Wellington, Florida, to perform two songs.
In April, Michael J. Fox was also the subject of false reports that he had died after CNN released a tribute videotitled "Remembering the life of actor Michael J. Fox." The news outlet acknowledged the video was "published in error" and apologized to Fox and his family.
The "Back to the Future" actor reassured fans on Threads that he was "OK."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Billy Joel's rep denies death speculation after reported Google error
