Billy Joel’s daughter speaks out after singer’s health diagnosis
Billy Joel’s daughter Alex Ray Joel has shared a touching message for her father following his diagnosis with a rare brain disorder.
The “Piano Man” star, 76, announced on Friday (23 May) that he was cancelling all scheduled concerts after being diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), a condition where excess cerebrospinal fluid builds up in the brain ventricles.
It is described by the NHS as an uncommon and poorly understood condition that typically affects people over the age of 60.
Joel had been due to perform across the US and at two UK dates this year. However, a statement from his representatives said recent performances had been exacerbating his condition, leading to “problems with hearing, vision and balance”.
On Saturday (24 May), Alexa, 39, paid tribute to her father on Instagram, captioning her post: “We love you and we got you, Pop!”
“I just wanted to thank you all for the beautiful outpouring of love and support amid the recent news of my father’s health diagnosis,” Alexa, whom Joel shares with his ex-wife, Christie Brinkley, continued.
“My dad is the strongest and most resilient man I’ve ever known,” she said, “and he’s entirely committed to making a full recovery with ongoing physical-therapy treatments as he continues to regain his strength.
“The genuine care, empathy, and concern from everyone means so much to him… it means a lot to me, too.”
She then quoted lyrics from “Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)”, a song Joel wrote for her that featured in his 1993 album, River of Dreams.
“Someday we’ll all be gone/ But lullabies go on and on/ They never die/ That’s how you and I will be.”
Brinkley herself shared a moving message to Joel from her own Instagram account, where she included a clip of one of his recent concerts, where she filmed Alexa singing along to his track “You May Be Right”.
“Dear Billy,” she wrote in the caption, “The whole Brinkley gang is sending you lots of love and good wishes for a full and speedy recovery.”
She added: “I was looking for some cute photos of you and Alexa to send you, when I came across this clip from a recent concert.”
The footage had made her laugh, she said, “but it also reminded me of all the joy you create, and all the sensational singalongs you’ve led… you turn an arena of strangers into a living room full of friends as we all sway in unison.”
She concluded: “I’m sure I’m speaking for everyone in that room when I say please take good care of yourself, we all want you back in that white hot spotlight, you’re OUR piano man and we’re always in the mood for your melodies. And we all hope you’re feeling alright! We love you, the kids, me and an arena or two!”
Joel’s representative said he is undergoing specific physical therapy and has been advised to refrain from performing during the recovery period.
“He is grateful for the support from fans during this time and looks forward to the day when he can once again take the stage,” the spokesperson said.
The statement ended with a direct quote from Joel, who said: “I’m sincerely sorry to disappoint our audience, and thank you for understanding.”
I run Camp Bestival with Rob da Bank and this is what it’s really like
It started one evening in the early 2000s when my husband Robby, better known to his fans as the DJ Rob da Bank, and I were – to put it politely – a little tipsy.
That eventful night, we hatched a plan to start a brand new music festival that we called Bestival – and even though we hadn’t really thought it through back then, here we are, some 20-odd years later, still running the family-friendly spin-off we launched in 2008, Camp Bestival, albeit with greyer hair, four kids and an ever-patient bank manager.
It’s probably best that we were a bit loopy, as, if I’m honest, I’m not sure anything could have prepared us for the reality of running a music festival. Forget the bands: the first thing we needed to master was the clear up. When all our guests go home on Monday, the work doesn’t stop there. Instead, that’s when we go through the knackering and somewhat depressing experience of taking down the stages, sets and campsites. Depending on the weather, this can take anything from a week to a whole month.
Then, hot off the heels of one festival, we have to start planning the next; fixing any bits that didn’t go right – no festival ever runs completely smoothly – and worrying about how to sell a fresh batch of 30,000 tickets. Yet, for some reason, this whole psychologically challenging and physically exhausting process is oddly addictive.
When Merlin was a baby, I remember us sleeping in a Mongolian yurt with him and Arlo, then two, who was suffering from a hacking croup cough. Spiders crawled across the cot and cold crept in and kept us awake. But each morning, as the sun hit the canvas, we felt more alive and inspired than by any morning in “the real world”.
Watching Florence & the Machine, Ed Sheeran (then barely famous and playing to 30 screaming teens), a brooding Bon Iver and the legendary Chuck Berry play across our first couple of years set a benchmark for us. It proved that family festivals need not be “poptastic” and full of naff activities – they could be cool, too.
We’ve worked hard to achieve this status. In Camp Bestival, we have created a multi-layered, multi-venue wonderland for kids of all ages – as well as their parents and grandparents. Surrounded by rolling fields, colourful tents and shady woodlands, they can get lost in hundreds of activities and creative happenings all day. Screens are forgotten, devices are ignored, and for once technology takes a backseat.
One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced with Camp Bestival came five days after giving birth to our youngest child, Miller, in 2017. Bearing a freshly bandaged emergency C-section scar with my newborn baby and buggy in tow, I was hit with the very real reminder that the show must go on. When you’re an independent festival promoter, maternity leave is a lovely idea, but not very practical.
Yes, we grow more exhausted as the weekend progresses. But as each day unfolds, we feel better and better for having so many unique, memory-making experiences, and we’re able to temporarily forget the day job, mortgage or the state of the world. Encouraging creativity and exposing kids to the performing arts, live bands and DJs, as well as immersive arts and crafts, is what motivates us – and is so enriching for them.
We still camp on-site with our kids for that reason – and they all have their assigned jobs. Arlo, now 19, lends a hand to the art department, helping them build and create sets; young entrepreneur Merlin, 17, has his own on-site sweet shop; Miller, 15, goes full DIY mode; and our youngest, Eli, eight, does the most important job of all: he enjoys the festival and reminds us why we do it.
Of course, festival life has its challenges – not least being woken up in a sweaty teepee by one of the kids at 3am or having one of them “steal” a golf buggy from the crew. However, as I look around at what we’ve created, almost two decades on, I know I wouldn’t change any of it for the world.
The Independent has announced an exclusive news partnership with family-focused Camp Bestival for 2025
Record-breaking cyberattacks could be prelude to the ‘big one’
Standing aboard an aircraft carrier in New York’s Hudson River in 2012, US defense secretary Leon Panetta warned of a looming attack that would “paralyse and shock the nation”. It would not come via air, land or sea, he said, but through the internet.
“A cyberattack perpetrated by nation states or violent extremist groups could be as destructive as the terrorist attack on 9/11,” he claimed, citing a recent spate of high-profile hacks that had exposed the fragility of an increasingly digitised critical infrastructure.
“They could derail passenger trains, or even more dangerous, derail trains loaded with lethal chemicals,” he continued. “They could contaminate the water supply in major cities, or shut down the power grid across large parts of the country.”
His speech marked a new era of cyberwarfare and a fundamental change in the way countries and corporations approached cybersecurity. It was also the first time such a senior figure had publicly recognised the existential threat of hackers, who were capable of pulling off what would come to be known as “the big one”.
The dire scenarios Panetta anticipated have since been the plots of Hollywood movies and TV shows – including Netflix’s 2025 blockbuster Zero Day – yet no real-world attacks have thankfully come close.
Cyber incursions have instead been far more insidious, typically focused on individuals or organisations rather than entire industries. In recent months, however, they have been ramping up to record levels.
Tens of millions of Brits have already been directly caught up in major hacks this year, with millions more impacted indirectly through site outages, loss of service, or even empty supermarket shelves. This week, more than a million Legal Aid users reportedly had their data exposed, which followed a breach of up to 10 million Marks & Spencer customers and 20 million Co-op members.
Data stolen from the attacks included the usual personal details – names, dates of birth, addresses – but also information that is potentially far more harmful, including criminal records and details of domestic abuse victims.
The attacks follow a broader trend of increasingly severe incidents, with several cybersecurity firms reporting a record number of ransomware attacks in the first quarter of 2025. Research from Check Point revealed that organisations were being hit with roughly 2,000 cyberattacks every week in the first three months of the year – up nearly 50 per cent compared to the same period last year.
Security researchers have attributed the sudden spike in attacks to a confluence of conditions, with some warning that the situation will likely become even more dire over the coming months.
“The surge is driven by a perfect storm of factors: the rapid digitisation of industries, increased reliance on third-party systems, and the rise of financially motivated, highly organised cybercriminal groups,” Spencer Starkey, an executive at cybersecurity firm SonicWall, tells The Independent.
“It is likely to get worse before it gets better. Attackers are innovating faster than defenders, and many organisations are still playing catch-up.”
Another reason behind the recent escalation is that hacking toolkits have become much cheaper and easier to use. Sophisticated tools that can be used to carry out massive campaigns can be purchased on the dark web or through apps like Telegram for as little as $50. Some tools, like the malicious chatbot WormGPT, are even found freely online, and can be used to conduct widespread fraud and social engineering attacks.
Their prevalence is reflected in figures released last month by fraud prevention service Cifas, which reported a record number of cases of identity fraud in the UK. In some cases, victims lost hundreds of thousands of pounds to scammers.
Another threat, which resurfaced in a formidable way this week, comes in the form of a new botnet capable of causing unprecedented online carnage. One Google researcher described the tool as powerful enough to “kill most companies”, after hackers demonstrated its capabilities in a 45-second attack on the website of cybercrime investigator Brian Krebs.
The botnet consists of millions of hijacked devices – ranging from smart fridges to security cameras – that can be instructed to perform distributed-denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks on websites and online services, overwhelming them with web traffic and knocking them offline.
Named Aisuru, the botnet is roughly 10 times more powerful than the Mirai botnet that ripped through the internet in 2016. According to Krebs, Aisuru could soon launch “crippling digital assaults that few web destinations can withstand”.
Security researchers have already seen cybercriminals advertising Aisuru as a DDoS-for-hire service within illicit forums, costing as little as $150 per day to use.
All of these trends, combined with infinitely evolving vulnerabilities, could well be a harbinger for a cyber catastrophe akin to “the big one”, experts warn.
“It’s not hyperbole,” says Phil Tonkin, the field chief technology officer at Dragos, which provides cybersecurity for national infrastructure. The organisation’s most recent report on industrial ransomware, published on Wednesday, revealed a significant increase in ransomware incidents against critical sectors in the first quarter of the year.
“As [computer] systems become more connected, we’re seeing routine ransomware events have outsized operational impacts. A ‘big one’ might not be dramatic – it might just be widespread failure from an attack that hits the wrong system at the wrong time.”
It is a sentiment shared by SonicWall’s Spencer Starkey, who notes that the cyber landscape is almost unrecognisable from when Defence Secretary Panetta first sounded the alarm about an impending digital disaster.
“The threat of a large-scale attack on critical infrastructure is no longer hypothetical,” he says. “The techniques used in retail and legal sector breaches – identity compromise, ransomware, lateral movement – are exactly the kinds of methods that could disrupt healthcare, utilities, or government systems.
“While we haven’t yet seen a ‘black swan’ cyber event at scale in the UK, the trajectory of these attacks suggests that it’s a matter of when, not if.”
Family holiday guide: why the Costa Dorada ticks every travel box
If there’s one thing every parent knows, it’s that children can sometimes (as much as we love them) be hard to please. So the key to any family holiday destination is variety: somewhere you can spend a sunny day by the sea, but where you can also enjoy breathtaking nature, as well as fascinating culture and history.
The brilliant news? The Costa Dorada (known locally as Costa Daurada) delivers all of this in spades, offering everything from theme parks and waterparks to stunning beaches, picturesque hiking and cycling trails, and incredible historical sites. What’s more, with Jet2holidays flying to the Costa Dorada from 12 UK airports and a range of two to five-star accommodation, it’s easy to get your family getaway in the bag. Jet2holidays is always giving you more, to help make planning and booking as smooth as possible. That goes for the PayPal Pay in 3 interest-free payments** option, 22kg baggage and 10kg hand luggage for all the kids’ stuff, and return transfers† that are included. Look out for Free Child Places***, while infants under two go free‡.
Here’s what to look forward to on your family getaway…
With 50 miles of coastline and 26 Blue Flag beaches, families are spoilt for choice when it comes to somewhere to pitch up at with a unicorn-shaped inflatable and a bucket and spade. The stretches of soft sand are long and golden, with safe, calm and shallow waters perfect for little ones. And in many places, water sports and beach activities to suit older children.
Some of the most popular seaside resorts include Salou, which houses the charming Platja Llarga, surrounded by a small pine forest. And there’s Cambrils, where you’ll find Platja del Cavet, which boasts a water sports school and open water swimming channel. Vila-seca, la Pineda Platja, is known for its nearly two miles of fine, champagne-sand beach, fronted by a long promenade, while Tarragona has a range of fantastic options, including Platja del Miracle in the heart of the city. There, you’ll find a great range of bars and restaurants and Platja de la Savinosa, a quieter beach enveloped by imposing cliffs. Many of these can be reached by easy coastal paths.
Another advantage of the Costa Dorada is its many theme parks and waterparks. For a real all-rounder, head to PortAventura World in Vila-seca, la Pineda Platja, a three-in-one park that’s one of Europe’s largest. Here you can enjoy everything from thrilling rollercoasters, rides (don’t miss Dragon Khan, which reaches over 68 miles per hour) and live entertainment. Then pop your swimmers on to enjoy waterfalls, pools and beaches at Caribe Aquatic Park. After you’ve had fun splashing around, head to Ferrari Land, which has a range of spectacular attractions that will make you feel like a real F1 driver.
Get even more thrills at nearby Aquopolis Costa Dorada. It has a range of attractions for all ages, from toddler-friendly and gentle – like the Mini-Park playground and Treasure Island – to more high-octane rides, such as the Boomerang, a speedy waterslide. Or there’s the Kamikaze that older kids will love. Alternatively, Náutic Park offers a range of fun activities and experiences spanning a coastal area of nearly 60 miles including those in Salou, Cambrils, Vandellós – l’Hospitalet de l’Infant and Mont-roig – Miami Platja. Whether you want to rent a sailing boat for the day, try a water bike or even take part in an escape room on the beach, Nàutic Park has it all.
Finally, Aqualeon, near Tarragona, has plenty of enjoyable rides and slides too. The Rapid River is fun for all the family, where you’ll feel like you’re gently ‘flying’ over the water. All the while, the Crazy Race pits you against grown-ups and siblings to see who can get down the slide first. Do you dare to ride the Anaconda? Featuring two intertwined tubes, it’s suitable only for the bravest…
Getting the kids out into the fresh air can sometimes feel like a struggle, but when the scenery in the Costa Dorada is this beautiful, nobody will feel it’s a hardship. Head inland to the striking Prades Mountains, which has a wealth of hiking and cycling trails in the area. These are filled with quaint villages and jaw-dropping viewpoints, where you can get active, immerse yourself in nature, and explore the distinctive, rocky landscape. Don’t miss the Gorgs route, near La Febro, known for its scenic natural pools and waterfalls.
For fascinating grottoes and gorges, head to Serra de Montsant Natural Park, which has dozens of walking trails which offer spectacular views. Back at ground level, in Cambrils, Parc Samà is a lovely botanical garden where kids will enjoy visiting the aviary, filled with exotic birds, as well as looking out for the deer, pheasants and peacocks which also call this place home.
With its rich history, there are stacks of captivating sights in the Costa Dorada that will grab your kids’ imaginations. Take them back to Roman times at archaeological sites, such as the amphitheatre of Tarragona; it was used for fights between wild beasts, races and gladiatorial combat. All these are brought excitingly to life by guided tours and interactive exhibits. Children will also love walking the Roman walls, and exploring the Circus and Forum, with the open-air setting making for the ultimate mix of education and adventure.
In a quiet spot at the end of a valley, nestled under the Montsant hills, you’ll find Cartoixa d’Escaladei (see main image), a 12th-century monastery founded by French monks at a site where a shepherd had dreamt of angels coming down from the sky. Here you can enjoy guided tours around its three cloisters, church and refectory, while learning the history and purpose of each building.
Finally, stoke their creativity with a visit to the Gaudí Centre in Reus, where the architect Antoni Gaudí was born. It offers an interactive and engaging experience that brings his genius to life in a way that appeals to all ages. You’ll find real objects related to him, detailed mock-ups of his iconic works, and a special effects room that immerses visitors in his groundbreakingly imaginative world.
With Jet2holidays, it’s a doddle to book your family getaway to the Costa Dorada. From a low £60 per person deposit* to PayPal Pay in 3 interest-free payments**, 22kg baggage for all the kids’ stuff to return transfers†, it’s all included. Families can make the most of Free Child Places*** and infants under two going free‡. And with flights included and the choice of two to five-star hotels, Jet2holidays is always giving you more. For more Costa Dorada travel inspiration, and to find and book your ultimate family holiday, visit Jet2holidays. Plus, right now, myJet2 members can save £100 per person§ in The Big Jet2 Price Drop (correct at original publish date).
*On bookings made ten weeks or more before departure. Full payment required by balance due date. **Spread the cost over three interest-free payments. Available when booked online, for holidays under £2,000, departing within ten weeks. ***One free child place per two paying passengers. Subject to availability. T&Cs apply, please see www.jet2holidays.com/promotions#FCP2025 for further details. †Unless otherwise stated. ‡Applicable for all infants under the age of two years on the date of return. Infants are not entitled to a flight seat (they must be seated with a parent or guardian) or a 22kg baggage allowance. §£100 per person off holidays for myJet2 members departing until 15 November 2026. myJet2 members will need to be logged into their account at the time of booking for the discount to automatically apply. Book online, via our app, through our call centre or with your travel agent. Please note the discount is not applied to children travelling on a free child place. Terms and conditions apply, please see www.jet2holidays.com/promotions#100APRIL2025 for details.
Two drivers killed in separate Motorsport UK races on same day
Two drivers have died in separate crashes at Motorsport UK races on Saturday.
Dai Roberts, a 39-year-old co-driver, died at the scene of a crash during the Jim Clark Rally in Scotland. Driver James Williams, 27, was hospitalised with serious injuries at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.
The Jim Clark Rally, named after the Scottish Formula One champion, is an annual closed-road motorsport race in the Scottish Borders.
In a statement, Motorsport UK offered its condolences to Mr Roberts’ family and friends, as well as the Jim Clark Rally, Jim Clark Memorial Motor Club and members of the motorsport community.
“Motorsport UK has initiated a full investigation into the circumstances of the incident and will work closely with the Jim Clark Rally event organisers and Jim Clark Memorial Motor Club and will cooperate with the relevant authorities”.
Police Scotland’s superintendent Vincent Fisher said: “Our thoughts are with the family of the man who has died and enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances.”
The Jim Clark Rally was stopped after the deaths of three people in 2014 and cancelled the year after. It has since been reinstated in the UK racing calendar.
Mr Roberts’ younger brother Gareth died aged 24 after a racing accident in Palermo, Italy, in 2012.
The Jim Clark Memorial Motor Club said they had made the decision to cancel the remainder of the event, as well as Sunday’s Jim Clark Reivers Rally.
Motorsport UK also announced the death pf Julian Grimwade, a competitor at the Vintage Sports Car Club’s race event at Donington Park on Saturday.
The organisation said: “Motorsport UK joins the entire UK motorsport community in mourning and sends its sincerest condolences to the family, friends and loved ones of Julian, as well as the Vintage Sports Car Club.
“As with all serious incidents, Motorsport UK will conduct an investigation into the matter and cooperate with the relevant external authorities.”
Can you upload a human mind to a computer? Neuroscientist reveals all
Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. Today, Amreen, age 15, from New Delhi, India, asks:
Is it possible to upload the consciousness of your mind into a computer?
The concept, cool yet maybe a little creepy, is known as mind uploading. Think of it as a way to create a copy of your brain, a transmission of your mind and consciousness into a computer. There you would live digitally, perhaps forever. You’d have an awareness of yourself, you’d retain your memories and still feel like you. But you wouldn’t have a body.
Within that simulated environment, you could do anything you do in real life – eating, driving a car, playing sports. You could also do things impossible in the real world, like walking through walls, flying like a bird or traveling to other planets. The only limit is what science can realistically simulate.
Doable? Theoretically, mind uploading should be possible. Still, you may wonder how it could happen. After all, researchers have barely begun to understand the brain.
Yet science has a track record of turning theoretical possibilities into reality. Just because a concept seems terribly, unimaginably difficult doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Consider that science took humankind to the Moon, sequenced the human genome and eradicated smallpox. Those things too were once considered unlikely.
As a brain scientist who studies perception, I fully expect mind uploading to one day be a reality. But as of today, we’re nowhere close.
The brain is often regarded as the most complex object in the known universe. Replicating all that complexity will be extraordinarily difficult.
One requirement: The uploaded brain needs the same inputs it always had. In other words, the external world must be available to it. Even cloistered inside a computer, you would still need a simulation of your senses, a reproduction of the ability to see, hear, smell, touch, feel – as well as move, blink, detect your heart rate, set your circadian rhythm and do thousands of other things.
But why is that? Couldn’t you just exist in a pure mental bubble, inside the computer without sensory input?
Depriving people of their senses, like putting them in total darkness, or in a room without sound, is known as sensory deprivation, and it’s regarded as a form of torture. People who have trouble sensing their bodily signals – thirst, hunger, pain, an itch – often have mental health challenges.
That’s why for mind uploading to work, the simulation of your senses and the digital environment you’re in must be exceptionally accurate. Even minor distortions could have serious mental consequences.
For now, researchers don’t have the computing power, much less the scientific knowledge, to perform such simulations.
The first task for a successful mind upload: Scanning, then mapping the complete 3D structure of the human brain. This requires the equivalent of an extraordinarily sophisticated MRI machine that could detail the brain in an advanced way. At the moment, scientists are only at the very early stages of brain mapping – which includes the entire brain of a fly and tiny portions of a mouse brain.
In a few decades, a complete map of the human brain may be possible. Yet even capturing the identities of all 86 billion neurons, all smaller than a pinhead, plus their trillions of connections, still isn’t enough. Uploading this information by itself into a computer won’t accomplish much. That’s because each neuron constantly adjusts its functioning, and that has to be modeled, too.
It’s hard to know how many levels down researchers must go to make the simulated brain work. Is it enough to stop at the molecular level? Right now, no one knows.
Knowing how the brain computes things might provide a shortcut. That would let researchers simulate only the essential parts of the brain, and not all biological idiosyncrasies. It’s easier to manufacture a new car knowing how a car works, compared to attempting to scan and replicate an existing car without any knowledge of its inner workings.
However, this approach requires that scientists figure out how the brain creates thoughts – how collections of thousands to millions of neurons come together to perform the computations that make the human mind come alive. It’s hard to express how very far we are from this.
Here’s another way: Replace the 86 billion real neurons with artificial ones, one at a time. That approach would make mind uploading much easier. Right now, though, scientists can’t replace even a single real neuron with an artificial one.
But keep in mind the pace of technology is accelerating exponentially. It’s reasonable to expect spectacular improvements in computing power and artificial intelligence in the coming decades.
One other thing is certain: Mind uploading will certainly have no problem finding funding. Many billionaires appear glad to part with lots of their money for a shot at living forever.
Although the challenges are enormous and the path forward uncertain, I believe that one day, mind uploading will be a reality. The most optimistic forecasts pinpoint the year 2045, only 20 years from now. Others say the end of this century.
But in my mind, both of these predictions are probably too optimistic. I would be shocked if mind uploading works in the next 100 years. But it might happen in 200 – which means the first person to live forever could be born in your lifetime.
Hello, curious kids! Do you have a question you’d like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com. Please tell us your name, age and the city where you live.
And since curiosity has no age limit – adults, let us know what you’re wondering, too. We won’t be able to answer every question, but we will do our best.
Dobromir Rahnev is an Associate Professor of Psychology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article