Billy Joel Mourns Jon Small: The Complicated Friendship Behind Their Decades-Long Creative Partnership
Billy Joel is mourning the death of Jon Small, his longtime friend, former bandmate and creative collaborator whose relationship with the singer survived one of the most painful personal betrayals of Joel’s early life.
Small died on September 4, 2026, according to reports citing a death announcement from a longtime friend. He was in his late 70s. A cause of death has not been publicly disclosed. Joel acknowledged Small’s death on Instagram on September 7 with a brief tribute: “RIP Jon Small.”
The news is drawing renewed attention not only because of Small’s decades-long connection to Joel, but because their friendship had an unusually complicated history — one that was explored in the 2025 documentary Billy Joel: And So It Goes.
Who Was Jon Small?
Long before Billy Joel became the “Piano Man,” he and Jon Small were young musicians on Long Island.
Small played drums in The Hassles, the 1960s rock and soul group that became Joel’s first major-label band. Joel joined the group in 1966, contributing keyboards and lead vocals. The band released two albums through United Artists before breaking up in 1969.
Joel and Small then formed Attila, a hard-rock duo with Joel on keyboards and vocals and Small on drums. The group released one self-titled album in 1970.
Their relationship, however, went far beyond music.
The Betrayal That Split Their Friendship
Joel and Small had been close friends when Joel became romantically involved with Small’s wife, Elizabeth Weber.
The relationship ultimately led Weber to divorce Small and later marry Joel in 1973. Joel and Weber eventually divorced in 1982.
Joel discussed the painful episode openly in Billy Joel: And So It Goes, saying he felt guilty about what happened and acknowledging that Small punched him in the nose after learning about the affair. Joel described himself as feeling like a “homewrecker.”
The fallout could easily have ended their relationship permanently.
Instead, the two eventually found a way back to each other.
How Billy Joel and Jon Small Reconciled
Despite the bitter personal rupture, Small and Joel eventually repaired their friendship.
Their professional relationship also returned in the 1980s, when Small became an important figure behind the camera for Joel’s music and concert projects.
Small directed or produced projects connected to several Joel songs and performances, including “Piano Man,” “Baby Grand” and “Tell Her About It.” He also directed and produced Live at Yankee Stadium, which earned him a 1992 Grammy nomination for Best Music Film.
Small’s career eventually extended far beyond Joel. He worked with major artists including Aerosmith, Run-DMC, Whitney Houston, Garth Brooks and others. The Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame also credits him with the visual concept behind the landmark Run-DMC/Aerosmith video “Walk This Way.”
Jon Small’s Connection to Billy Joel Was Still Recent
Small’s connection to Joel had not simply become a piece of distant rock history.
In June 2025, Small participated in events surrounding The Hassles’ induction into the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame. He was the only surviving member of the original group in attendance, according to the Hall of Fame.
Just weeks later, Billy Joel: And So It Goes brought their complicated story to a much larger audience.
The documentary included interviews with Small and revisited the friendship, the affair involving Elizabeth Weber and the eventual reconciliation between the two men.
That recent exposure helps explain why Small’s death is resonating so strongly with Billy Joel fans now.
Why Jon Small’s Death Is Trending Now
Small’s death has put a spotlight on a relationship that is unusual even by rock-and-roll standards: two teenage-era friends became bandmates, suffered a devastating personal betrayal, eventually reconciled and later worked together on some of the visual projects associated with Joel’s career.
Joel’s short public tribute has also prompted renewed interest in the story behind their friendship.
For fans who encountered Small primarily through Billy Joel: And So It Goes, his death adds another layer to a story the documentary had only recently brought back into public conversation.
Small was also honored for his own career in 2025, when The Hassles were inducted into the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame. The organization describes his later work as a major contribution to the development of music videos and concert films.
A Friendship That Survived Its Darkest Chapter
Jon Small’s legacy cannot be reduced to his connection with Billy Joel.
He was a musician who helped launch Joel’s earliest career, a director and producer who worked during the formative MTV era, and a creative force behind major music videos and concert films.
But for Billy Joel fans, Small will also be remembered as one of the people who knew Joel before worldwide fame — and as someone whose friendship with the singer survived a deeply painful chapter.
Joel’s September 7 tribute was brief, but the history behind those words is anything but simple.
Jon Small died September 4, 2026. He was in his late 70s. His cause of death has not been publicly disclosed.
FAQs
Who was Jon Small?
Jon Small was a drummer, music-video director and concert-film producer who played with Billy Joel in The Hassles and Attila before later collaborating with Joel on music and concert projects.
When did Jon Small die?
Reports say Small died on September 4, 2026, in his late 70s. His cause of death has not been publicly disclosed.
How did Billy Joel know Jon Small?
Joel and Small became friends and bandmates in the 1960s through The Hassles and later formed Attila together. Their relationship eventually extended into Joel’s music-video and concert-film work.
Why did Billy Joel and Jon Small have a falling-out?
Their friendship was severely damaged after Joel became romantically involved with Small’s wife, Elizabeth Weber, whom Joel later married. Joel discussed the episode in Billy Joel: And So It Goes.
Did Billy Joel and Jon Small reconcile?
Yes. The two eventually repaired their friendship and later worked together professionally on several Joel projects, including music videos and concert films.
