Billy Joel Mourns Death of Longtime Collaborator and Friend Jon Small

NEED TO KNOW Jon Small, Billy Joel's former bandmate and longtime collaborator, helped kickstart Joel's music career in the 1960s Their friendship endured ups and downs, including Joel marrying Small's ex-wife, but they later reconciled and worked together Small produced music videos for Joel and other artists, earning a Grammy nomination Jon Small, a longtime friend and collaborator of Billy Joel, has died. Joel, 77, paid tribute to Small, a drummer and his former bandmate in the Hassles and Attila, on Instagram on Monday, Sept. 7. 'RIP Jon Small,' Joel wrote alongside a throwback photo of the pair and a more recent shot of them smiling together. Small helped kickstart Joel's music career by recruiting him into the Hassles, and though their bond was fractured when Joel fell in love with and later married Small's wife Elizabeth, they eventually repaired their friendship and continued to work together. 'We were like a pig in a blanket. He was the pig and I was the blanket. We did everything together,' Small said in the 2025 documentary Billy Joel: And So It Goes. Their musical journey began in the 1960s, when Small's group the Hassles lost their keyboard player. When Joel came in, Small immediately recognized his talent, despite thinking he was 'corny.' Though Joel initially rejected Small's offer to join the group, Small convinced the future star to get on board by offering him a Hammond B-3 organ. Billy Joel in New York in March 2018. Myrna M. Suarez/Getty The two quickly formed a close friendship, and Joel soon took the Hassles to new heights as lead singer and songwriter, with the band signing a record deal thanks to the success of Joel's original song 'Every Step I Take.' 'With all bands, you always have arguments about the creative way you're going,' Small said in the documentary. 'Amongst the Hassles, only Billy and I were as serious. Me and Billy, we were in sync and the other guys weren't. And then we realized that we didn't need the other guys. So we left the Hassles.' The two went on to form their own group called Attila, a heavy metal rock band inspired by their mutual love of Led Zeppelin. In order to maximize their practice time, Joel, Small, Small's wife Elizabeth and their young son Sean all moved into a house together. Things soured between Joel and Small, though, when Joel fell for Elizabeth. 'Elizabeth was very important to me, but I think I was not the guy she hoped I would be,' Small said in the documentary. 'I kept seeing that Billy was not the same guy. Something was the matter. And Billy one day came up to me, became a little honest, and said to me, 'I'm in love with your wife.' So it was a very devastating thing for me, because these were basically my two best friends.' Joel said in the documentary that he was wracked with guilt over the situation and felt like a 'homewrecker,' and that both he and Small were 'very upset.' The situation weighed on Joel so intensely that he twice attempted suicide — and Small was the one who rushed him to the hospital the second time. Billy Joel and Elizabeth Weber at the Music and Arts Performing Lodge in New York City. Ron Galella Collection via Getty 'Even though our friendship had blown up, Jon saved my life,' Joel said. Joel and Elizabeth married in 1973, and she went on to be his manager. She is largely credited with helping launch his career, though they divorced in 1982. In the 1980s, Joel and Small reunited to make several music videos together, including 'Uptown Girl,' 'Keeping the Faith' and 'Tell Her About It,' on which Small served as video producer. Small, who had his own production company, was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1992 for his work on Joel's Live at Yankee Stadium concert film, and also worked as a director and producer for artists like Kenny Rogers, Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire and Blake Shelton. In 2025, Small was inducted into the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame as a member of the Hassles. 'It's funny, whenever something is said about Billy, I joke about it, I'm always dragged into it. I can't get away from this guy,' he said in a 2025 episode of the Glass Houses podcast. 'He is really a great, great guy.'