Billy Joel mourns the death of Jon Small, an early bandmate he knew from the 1960s. Joel and Small first play together in the rock band The Hassles before later forming the band Attila.
Both outlets report that their relationship is strained by a personal dispute. Rolling Stone says Joel has an affair with Small’s wife, which temporarily ends their friendship. The Independent likewise describes the affair as having tested their friendship, noting the two friends had moved beyond the earlier band connections but that the incident still marks their shared history.
The reports focus on Joel’s public acknowledgement of Small’s death and on the timeline of their early music collaborations. They differ mainly in emphasis: The Independent adds more context about the affair’s lasting impact on their friendship, while Rolling Stone presents the announcement alongside that context. Neither outlet provides extensive details about the circumstances of Small’s death in the available text.
