Billy Joel admitted he tried taking his own life twice and fell into a coma in his dramatic documentary “Billy Joel: And So It Goes.”
The first half of the documentary premiered Wednesday at the Tribeca Festival in New York City, according to People.
The legendary singer revealed his darkest days and how they were triggered by an affair with the wife of his bandmate and friend, Jon Small, when Joel was in his 20s, according to the outlet.
Joel said he fell in love with Small’s wife, Elizabeth Weber, shortly after moving in with the couple and their child, the outlet reported. At the time, Joel and Small were in a band named “Attila.”
During the documentary, the famous singer said he came-to after his first suicide attempt but was determined to do it again — and do it “right,” People reported.
NEW YORK, NY – MAY 27: (EDITORS NOTE: This image was converted to black and white using digital filters) Billy Joel performs in concert at Madison Square Garden on May 27, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
Weber appeared in the documentary and said the affair was a “slow build,” according to the outlet.
“Bill and I spent a lot of time together,” she said. He ended up marrying Weber in 1973, but they eventually parted ways.
Joel admitted in the documentary that the affair took a big toll on him.
“I felt very, very guilty about it. They had a child. I felt like a homewrecker,” he said of the affair, according to People.
He detailed the chain of events that transpired.
“I had no place to live. I was sleeping in laundromats and I was depressed I think to the point of almost being psychotic,” he said in the documentary, according to the outlet.
“So I figured, ‘That’s it. I don’t want to live anymore.’ I was just in a lot of pain and it was sort of like ‘Why hand out? Tomorrow is going to be just like today is and today sucks.’ So, I just thought I’d end it all,” Joel stated.
Joel’s sister, Judy Molinari, was a medical assistant at the time, according to the outlet. She said in the documentary that she handed Joel sleeping pills to help him sleep.
“But Billy decided that he was going to take all of them… he was in a coma for days and days and days,” she said, according to People.
“I went to go see him in the hospital, and he was laying there white as a sheet. I thought that I’d killed him,” Molinari continued.
The documentary revealed that Joel woke up from the coma determined to try to take his life again, according to the outlet.
He attempted suicide a second time by drinking a bottle of “lemon Pledge,” Molinari said. Ironically, it was Small that rushed him to the hospital.
“Even though our friendship was blowing up, Jon saved my life,” Joel said in the film, according to People.
The famous singer admitted to feeling like a “lost soul” as he checked himself into an “observation ward,” People noted.
The couple of weeks he spent there proved to be pivotal for the star. (RELATED: Billy Joel Diagnosed With Brain Disorder)
“I got out of the observation ward and I thought to myself, you can utilize all those emotions to channel that stuff into music,” Joel said, according to the outlet.
“Billy Joel: And So It Goes” is slated for release in July on HBO.