Billy Joel Exhibit Comes to an End After Nearly 2 Years at LIMEHOF

As a swan song for their lengthy and extensive Billy Joel exhibit, the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEHOF) in Stony Brook held a special Billy Joel Collectors Presentation event on Saturday and Sunday, October 25 and 26, which displayed items lent to the museum from two local collectors in celebration of the East Hampton resident. The special weekend event was held to send off the museum’s wildly popular Billy Joel: My Life, A Piano Man’s Journey exhibit, which has been on view for nearly two years, since November 24, 2023.

“We have been honored to have been the home of the exclusive authorized exhibition for the first ever Billy Joel exhibit, curated by LIMEHOF’s own Kevin O’Callaghan,” LIMEHOF Chairman Ernie Canadeo said in a statement. “The response has been overwhelming, and we hope to continue to feature several items from his archives in the future.”

The exhibit featured more than 50 years of objects and rare memorabilia from Joel’s life, including behind-the-scenes video footage, dozens of awards, rare audio and video recordings, vintage instruments and historic photos. Many of the items were donated by Joel who asked when touring the items, “Where did you get all this stuff?”

In other Joel news, the musician’s eponymous Joel Foundation has pledged $2 million to support the new Music Therapy Institute at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music.

Joel’s wife, Alexis Roderick Joel, announced the donation during a ceremony for the facility.

In a statement, the foundation said, “Music therapy has long been a part of the care for a series of neurological conditions, and we are committed to broadening the understanding of its importance to mental health.”

The Piano Man hitmaker has been undergoing physical therapy since canceling performances following his diagnosis of normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), a brain disorder that can affect balance, vision, and hearing.

The foundation also urged New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to “increase access to music therapy by signing the bill advanced by the NYS legislature mandating that commercial health insurance companies cover psychotherapy provided by Licensed Creative Arts Therapists.”