Billy Joel Mourns Jon Small: The Bandmate Who Punched Him, Then Forgave Him for Good

Billy Joel is mourning the loss of Jon Small, the drummer who gave him his first real shot in music - and the friend whose forgiveness he spent decades trying to deserve.

Small died September 4 in his late 70s; no cause of death has been disclosed. Joel confirmed the news on Instagram with a simple tribute: "RIP Jon Small," posted alongside photos of the two together.

The pair grew up together on Long Island and formed the rock band The Hassles in the 1960s before launching the hard-rock duo Attila in 1970. But their friendship nearly ended for good when Joel fell in love with Small's wife, Elizabeth Weber, while living in their home. Small punched him in the nose - a moment Joel later called deserved. "I felt like a homewrecker," Joel admitted in the 2025 documentary Billy Joel: And So It Goes.

What followed wasn't a clean break, but a real reconciliation. Small forgave him. The two eventually rebuilt their friendship and their creative partnership, with Small going on to direct several of Joel's music videos - including "Tell Her About It" and "Baby Grand" - along with iconic clips for Run-DMC, Aerosmith, Garth Brooks, and Reba McEntire.

Small and The Hassles were inducted into the Long Island Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame in June 2025, a fitting close to a decades-long story of two men who chose to stay.