Almost a year after Billy Joel was diagnosed with the neurological condition Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus, his daughter, singer Alexa Ray, gave an update on how the “Piano Man” singer is doing.

“He’s doing physical therapy regularly and he’s doing great. He’s lost weight as he’s on his diet,” said singer-songwriter Alexa Ray of her dad’s road to recovery from the condition that affects balance, vision and hearing and which forced the cancellation of Joel’s planned 2025 tour dates. “I’m so proud of him. He’s such a trooper, so resilient and committed to being healthy and proactive. He’s a fighter. He’s always been a fighter and talks in his documentary about how life’s like a fight.”

Alexa Ray gave The Hollywood Reporter that update on her dad’s condition on the eve of Thursday night’s (March 12) tribute fundraiser, “The Music of Billy Joel” which took place at Carnegie Hall and featured Matchbox Twenty’s Rob Thomas, Matt Nathanson, Train’s Pat Monahan, Sammy Rae, Rufus Wainwright, O.A.R.’s Mark Roberge, Jon McLaughlin, Wyclef Jean and others playing the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s songs.

The event was the latest in promoter Michael Dorf’s Music Of benefit series, which has raised more than $2 million for music education programs in New York over the past 20 years.

Alexa Ray said the 76-year-old singer was planning to attend the event. “I said, ‘Dad, you better be there! This is Carnegie Hall. Everyone’s paying tribute to you, and it’s an amazing group of artists,’” she said. “He was like, ‘Let me mark that down.’ He’s very organized with his little calendar. He was so excited when he first played Carnegie Hall in the ‘70s, so it’s exciting for him to come back decades later and see amazing artists and his daughter pay tribute to him. It’s a full-circle moment.”

She said her dad asked her not to watch the videos of the Mohegan Sun show last year in which he fell after a microphone spin, which led to the diagnosis of the condition that occurs when cerebrospinal fluid builds up inside the skull, pressing on the brain, affecting “several brain-related abilities, including thinking and concentrating, memory, movement and more,” according to the Cleveland Clinic.

He played it down,” she said. “He knows I have anxiety and am a neurotic worrier, so he was like, ‘Everything’s fine. It was just a little trip.’ When I saw the footage, I was crying. But then I went with him to the doctors, and we’re on top of everything. I just tell him to stay healthy.”

Joel has been largely out of view since the diagnosis, telling Bill Maher last July, “I feel fine,” but admitting that his balance “sucks” and that it feels like “being on a boat.” And though there’s no update on his prognosis or a possible return to touring, Joel delighted fans in Florida on Jan. 2 when he played a two-song mini-set alongside the tribute band Turnstiles at a village amphitheater in Wellington, Fla. The Piano man joined the band accompanied by his wife, Alexis Roderick, and their two young daughters, Della and Remy.

After asking if he could hop on the mic, Joel performed “We Didn’t Start the Fire” and “Big Shot” as his daughters danced next to him. The brief appearance was Joel’s first time back on stage since last May’s news about his diagnosis; his last full concert took place in February 2025.

Bunnie Xo has someone in mind to play her in the film adaptation of her best-selling memoir, and it’s not who you think.

After climbing the summit of the New York Times Bestsellers List with her autobiography, Stripped Down, the podcaster and wife of Jelly Roll will enjoy a silver screen turn when its pages are converted into film.  

Just five hours after learning a deal had been struck with 101 Studios, the producers of Emmy-nominated neo-western Yellowstone, Bunnie stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live for a candid chat.

Which actor would she like to play her? Jack Black. Yes, that Jack Black. Funnyman Jack Black, from Tropic Thunder, Anaconda, School of Rock and Tenacious D. “Listen,” she reminded the live audience, “Jack Black is daddy, ok.”

On Thursday (March 12), Variety exclusively revealed that 101 Studios has fast-tracked Stripped Down: Unfiltered and Unapologetic for a film adaptation under its new first-look deal with Universal Pictures. It was as much of a surprise to Bunnie as it was to anyone in or outside of her orbit.

It’s an unblinking, at times brutal reflection on a life with more turns and terror than a F1 racetrack. In it, Bunnie admits it’s a miracle she’s alive between the men who beat her, the multiple overdoses, the ectopic pregnancies, the suicide attempts and even a car crash that could have left her paralyzed.

“I didn’t write this book for money,” she tells Kimmel. “I didn’t even know that I could make it on the New York Times Bestseller List when I wrote this book.” Bunnie got to work on Stripped Down in 2019, “and I just wanted to get my story out. I wanted it to be a conduit to be able to connect with people and hopefully inspire somebody along the way. And it’s just taken on a life of its own.”

Trauma doesn’t discriminate. “Writing this book has showed me and taught me that there are so many of us that are literally generational curse-breakers and we have all been affected by trauma that we never even asked for,” she continues. “And writing this book was such a cathartic journey for me and just watching how it has resonated with so many people I just feel like trauma and everything that people go through, that mess becomes a message and the tests become a testimony. And that’s what I used this book for.”

Meeting Jelly Roll brought with it another small dose of trauma. Bunnie recounted her first meeting with the country star at a Moonshine Bandits concert in Sin City. Later, a “smoke sesh” and Jelly rolled up with his big old brown van, a vehicle she describes as “gross,” complete with a mattress and crumbs. You can almost smell it from the story. “It was disgusting,” she attests. She fell in love with Jelly, though that came later.

A decade on, he still drops his pants randomly at home. And she’s still picking them up. Perhaps they fall off, a result of Jelly losing so much weight. “He’s so skinny now. I’m so proud of him,” Bunnie enthuses. “He looks so good, so handsome.”

Bunnie also admits that she doesn’t think her hubbie has read the book (“he had to live it with me. Also, what man wants to know about his wife before?”). And, flipping it around, she doesn’t know all his music. “We have an ongoing joke in our house that anytime his song comes on Pandora, I skip it, and he’s like ‘that’s messing up my algorithm.’ And I’m like, ‘I don’t care.’ I bust his balls all the time.”

The big screen adaptation will marks Bunnie’s first major foray into the world of film, and it might not be her last. Bunnie has plans to write another book.

“I definitely want to do one, but I want to let this one kind of resonate and keep growing and take on a life of its own. In probably like two years, I’ll do another book. I was thinking about doing one called The Little Black Book, because everyone is so interested in my past profession.”

Watch interview on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live below.

Billboard’s Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to this Friday’s most essential releases — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond. 

This week, Kacey Musgraves and The Pussycat Dolls (!) return with new music as Noah Kahan continues to tease the release of his upcoming album due in April … plus much more. Check out all of this week’s picks below:

Kacey Musgraves, “Dry Spell”

After teasing her return with billboards and posters that instructed who to call for a “real good time,” Kacey Musgraves is back with a new single and album on the way. “Dry Spell” previews the singer’s sixth album, Middle Of Nowhere, out May 1. The cheeky, twangy track chronicles Musgrave’s experience with a streak of celibacy, while the punny lyrics are balanced by warm, Western instrumentation. A song like this is practically begging to be covered by Sabrina Carpenter.

Noah Kahan, “Porch Light”

As the April release of Noah Kahan’s anticipated new album nears, the singer has shared his next single, “Porch Light.” True to his folk tendencies, the song prioritizes storytelling over a jangly guitar riff — but perhaps what stands out most is Kahan’s vocal performance, as he seamlessly dips into his higher register throughout the track. With “Porch Light,” it becomes more clear that The Great Divide will showcase new depth to Kahan’s skillset — and thankfully, he has never been an artist to shy away from digging deep.

The Pussycat Dolls, “Club Song”

Yes, it’s true; in the year 2026, The Pussycat Dolls are back. Reunited as a trio — including members Nicole Scherzinger, Ashley Roberts and Kimberly Wyatt — the iconic pop group has returned with a bouncy new track that, as the title “Club Song” suggests, is fit for a night out. The new single comes with even bigger news: The Pussycat Dolls are heading out on tour this June with special guests Lil Kim and Mya. The new song says it best: “Give the girl her girls…and look at her go.”

Momo Boyd, Infinity Song, “Strong”

Singer-songwriter Momo Boyd — part of rising sibling soft-rock band Infinity Song — has shared new track “Strong,” which is billed to both Boyd as a solo act and the group. After making her solo debut last year, Boyd continues to release music on her own and with the band, forging an undeniable resume in the process. Still, “Strong” proves that there is a strength to what Infinity Song is building — while also making clear that the inviting warmth of Boyd’s vocals are perhaps the sturdiest pillar.

Lany, “When Did You Stop Loving Me?”

Following last year’s release of Soft, alternative-pop act Lany has unveiled the deluxe edition titled Soft 2. Standout track “When Did You Stop Loving Me?” shows off a less lovestruck tone than much of the songs on Soft — and features a roaring guitar solo that builds into its final cathartic chorus. The track offers a welcomed balance to the overall tracklist and explores an all-too relatable question — but one that, as the album title points to, is perhaps too “soft” to ever ask out loud. Yet here, Lany shows just how freeing it can feel to not hold back.

Saturday night is for sin, Sunday morning is for salvation, and it looks like Carly Pearce and Riley Green may be doing some sinning in the video for their new sultry ballad, “If I Don’t Leave I’m Gonna Stay.”

“I got church early tomorrow and I can’t walk in all a mess in the dress I’m in tonight,” coos Pearce in the languid tune, as the two country stars canoodle in the “will they or won’t they” video.

The steamy clip features plenty of caressing, skin nibbling and longing looks, but leaves a lot more to the imagination than Green’s steamilicious “Worst Way” video.

In the slow burn of a tune, much is left to interpretation including their alluded-to past, as Green sings, “We’re so good at striking matches, but we’re not good at ever putting out the flame.” “If we don’t stop, we’re going to start all over again,” they sing together, as they try to resist falling into a familiar pattern.  

Their voices caress each other as much as their wandering fingers do as two of country music’s best collaborators each add another blockbuster duet to their repertoire. 

Pearce has collaborated with such artists as Chris Stapleton and Lee Brice, as well as Ashley McBryde on their Grammy-winning duet, “Never Wanted To Be That Girl.” Green won multiple CMA Awards for his duet with Ella Langley, “you look like you love me,” while scoring another hit with their similarly themed “Don’t Mind If I Do.”

The Wes Edwards-directed video and lyrics leave it inconclusive as to exactly what happens with the two potential lovers, but it seems pretty clear that whatever conspired, Pearce’s character doesn’t stay the night as Green walks her to the door and is wistfully seen making coffee for one the next morning. But then the camera pans over to a certain object that leaves a lingering question mark and begs for a sequel.

Watch the music video below.