Billy Joel’s former bandmate and longtime best friend Jon Small has passed away.
The 77-year-old Piano Man hitmaker confirmed the news in a social media post on Monday, simply writing, “RIP Jon Small.”
According to TMZ, Small was in his late 70s and no official cause of death has yet been revealed.
Small and Joel’s relationship dates back to the early 1960s, when they were both members of the rock band The Hassles.
The pair then broke off from The Hassles to form their own hard rock duo called Attila.
However, their partnership collapsed when Joel had an affair with Small’s then-wife Elizabeth Weber while they were all living together.
Billy Joel’s former bandmate and longtime best friend Jon Small has passed away; pictured together in 1970
‘I felt very guilty about it. They had a child. I felt like a homewrecker,” Joel explained in the 2025 HBO documentary.
‘I was just in love with a woman and I got punched in the nose, which I deserved. Jon was very upset. I was very upset.’
The fallout ended Attila, shattered Joel’s friendship with Small, and left the future Piano Man broken and alone after Weber left – though they would eventually reunite.
