Billy Joel: And So It Goes premiered at New York City's Tribeca Festival on Wednesday, and in the documentary, Joel reveals that decades ago, he attempted suicide—twice. When he was in his 20s and in a band, Attila, with his best friend Jon Small, Joel moved in with Small and his family for a while, People reports. Small was married to Elizabeth Weber at the time and they had a son together—but Joel found himself falling in love with Weber, and he ultimately came clean to Small. "I felt very, very guilty about it," Joel, 76, says in the film. "They had a child. I felt like a homewrecker. 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 band ended, and so did their friendship, at least for a time. Joel went into a downward spiral, so depressed he was almost "psychotic," he says, and with nowhere to live.
He took a bunch of sleeping pills and went into a coma for days, but survived. Then he tried again—this time drinking a bottle of lemon Pledge. It was Small who took him to the hospital and saved his life, Joel says in the documentary. After the second attempt, he entered an "observation ward," he says, and within weeks he was released and ready to channel his emotions into his music. He and Weber ultimately reunited and were married from 1973 to 1982, and Weber attended the film premiere, E! Online reports. "He's worked so hard all of his life," she said at the premiere. "I've never known anybody who worked harder than he did." Joel himself was absent from the premiere following his recent brain disorder diagnosis. (If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline is available by calling or texting 988.)
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