Billy Joel is mourning the death of his longtime friend, collaborator and former bandmate Jon Small, decades after a painful personal betrayal nearly ended their friendship.
The 77-year-old singer announced Small’s death on social media, sharing a black-and-white photograph of the pair during their younger years alongside the simple caption, “RIP Jon Small.”
A cause of death has not been disclosed.
Small and Joel first became bandmates in the 1960s rock group The Hassles, with Small serving as the drummer. The two later formed the hard rock duo Attila, releasing their self-titled album in 1970.
However, their musical partnership and friendship came to a devastating end that same year after Joel began an affair with Small’s wife, Elizabeth Weber.
The painful chapter in their lives was revisited in the 2025 documentary Billy Joel: And So It Goes, which explored the complicated relationship between the two musicians.
In the documentary, Small recalled the moment Joel admitted that he had fallen in love with Weber.
Joel also opened up about the guilt he carried following the affair, admitting that he felt like a “homewrecker” and acknowledged that Small had every reason to be devastated.
The fallout had a profound impact on Joel. According to the documentary, the singer attempted suicide twice during that period. Following his second attempt, it was Small who found him and rushed him to the hospital.
“Even though our friendship had blown up, Jon saved my life,” Joel said in the film.
Despite the painful betrayal, Small eventually forgave Joel, allowing their friendship to slowly heal.
Joel married Weber in 1973, and she later became his manager. The couple divorced in 1982, while Weber remained an important figure in Joel’s early professional career.
Joel and Small eventually reconciled in the 1980s and went on to work together again.
