"Piano Man" Billy Joel Denies Longstanding DUI Rumors

Iconic musician Billy Joel is finally putting to rest the persistent rumors that he has accumulated multiple DUIs over the years. In the new HBO documentary "Billy Joel: And So It Goes," the "Piano Man" singer, now 76 years old, addresses the gossip that has followed him for decades.

Joel was involved in a string of car accidents in the early 2000s, leading many to speculate that he had been drinking and driving. However, the singer firmly states that he has never had a DUI in his life. "That never happened, but people keep repeating the myth: 'Oh, he's got so many DUIs.' I never had a DUI, so f--- you," Joel said.

The musician suffered a serious crash in East Hampton, New York, in June 2002, and less than a year later, had to be airlifted to a hospital after swerving off the road and smashing his car into a tree. In April 2004, Joel also crashed through a row of bushes and into a Long Island home. Despite these incidents, authorities found no evidence of alcohol or drug involvement.

Still, the rumors persisted, even making their way into pop culture, with a 2004 "Saturday Night Live" sketch referencing Joel's alleged drunk driving. But the singer maintains that he decided to go to rehab in 2005 due to a personal breakup, not because of the accidents. "I had gone through a breakup and was really broken up about it, and I decided, 'I'm drinking too much. I should go to rehab,'" he told The New York Times Magazine in 2013.

Now, in the new documentary, Joel is setting the record straight once and for all, determined to dispel the longstanding myth about his driving history.