In preparation for a possible glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) this summer, local, tribal, and state agencies have formed a joint communications initiative aimed at improving public safety and emergency response in Juneau.
The City and Borough of Juneau (CBJ), Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska (Tlingit & Haida), and the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities (DOT&PF) are coordinating with several federal and state partners to streamline flood messaging and improve community readiness.
The collaborative effort stems from increased awareness of the growing risks posed by the Mendenhall Glacier’s Suicide Basin and recent flood events that have affected homes, infrastructure, and traditional lands. With the basin approaching capacity, agencies are taking proactive steps to minimize confusion, provide timely updates, and improve response coordination in the event of a flood.
The new effort, called the Joint Information Center (JIC), was established under the Incident Command System and includes coordination from the National Weather Service, U.S. Coast Guard, Alaska Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Management, and the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation.
“This partnership will allow us to pool our resources to make sure our residents receive accurate, timely information—especially during high-stress situations like a flood,” said CBJ City Manager Katie Koester.
The JIC will provide consistent emergency alerts, preparedness tips, and flood status updates through email, social media, media briefings, and partner websites. The group will release email updates twice a week and near-daily social media posts to help keep the public informed.
“Community emergencies such as flood events do not recognize jurisdictional boundaries,” said Tlingit & Haida President Chalyee Éesh Richard J. Peterson. “That’s why collaboration between tribal, municipal, state, and federal partners is critical as we prepare our community, pool our resources, knowledge and coordinate response. Together, we are building a framework that prioritizes public safety and ensures that no one is left behind when it matters most.”
Key Ways Residents Can Stay Informed:
Sign up for emergency alerts at bit.ly/CBJAlerts
Check in with the Juneau Flood Ready website at bit.ly/JuneauFloodReady
View road closure leading up to and during an event at 511.Alaska.gov
Stay tuned to the National Weather Service Suicide Basin monitoring page (link) 5 Review the interactive flood inundation maps available at JuneauFlood.com.
NOTN- Goldbelt, Inc., Juneau’s urban Alaska Native corporation, has launched the permitting process for its new West Douglas cruise ship port, according to a news release from Goldbelt.
The site for Goldbelt Aaní, Tlingit for “land”, sits on the corporation’s Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) lands on the west side of Douglas Island, approximately 12 minutes from downtown Juneau.
Goldbelt met with the City and Borough of Juneau’s Planning and Zoning Department to discuss the early requirements for what would be the municipality’s first cultural cruise destination.
Conceptual plans include a recreated 1800s-era Tlingit village, Indigenous art installations, local foods, and cultural attractions.
According to Goldbelt, infrastructure designs call for two single-berth cruise ship docks with tour boat access, piers connected to the shore by arching transfer spans, and a 32,000-square-foot welcome center. Additional amenities proposed in initial meetings include onsite housing for ship crew members and a childcare center.
“This is not a new plan—we’re activating a vision developed with the City and Borough of Juneau more than 25 years ago,” said Goldbelt President and CEO McHugh Pierre. “Goldbelt Aaní will strengthen infrastructure, disperse tourism in a balanced way, and create meaningful, lasting value for both Goldbelt shareholders and the community.”
City records show that planning efforts between the city and Goldbelt for West Douglas date back three decades. In 1999, the city allocated $600,000 to hire an engineering firm to design a master plan for the area. The current concept closely mirrors elements from that original plan, including a Tlingit cultural village, tour boat harbor with floatplane slips, a retail promenade called Goldbelt Way, a 28,000-square-foot restaurant, a spa, and waterfront lodging such as bungalows and elevated treehouses.
While the proposal does not directly address road development along Pioneer Road, it does incorporate plans for growth in utilities and supporting infrastructure.
Anchorage-based Solstice Environmental and Juneau-based Northwind Architects are leading the permitting and design process. Goldbelt plans to hold a series of public meetings to gather input from Juneau residents.
training exercise at the Juneau International Airport, Photo provided by CBJ
NOTN- The Juneau International Airport will conduct a full-scale emergency response exercise on Saturday, July 26, simulating an aircraft crash and live fire response. The exercise will run from approximately 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and is part of required Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) safety training.
Juneau Mayor Beth Weldon says residents can expect to see visible black smoke and flames on the airport grounds as part of the simulation.
“They’ll be conducting a simulated airport crash and live fire training to allow everybody to get a chance to play all their roles. So this will be controlled burning of fuel, which will produce black smoke to replicate a real world aircraft fire, and so there will be a lot of emergency response vehicles in and around the airport. But again, there’s no danger to the public.”
The exercise is being conducted in coordination with local emergency response agencies and the burning complies with Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) open burning guidelines, which allow limited black smoke emissions for firefighter training purposes. Airport officials say all reasonable efforts are being made to limit environmental impact and minimize the duration of smoke.
To support the drill, Mayor Weldon says the Airport Dike Trail parking lot off Radcliffe Road will be closed to the public, “airport dyke trail parking lot will be closed from 5pm on Friday, July 25 to 1pm on Saturday, July 26 So, and that’s usually one of their staging areas. So just be aware, if you’d like to walk that trail, you might pick a different trail to walk Saturday morning or walk in the afternoon.”
Airport authorities thank the public for their cooperation and understanding as they conduct this important safety training.
Seven people have been indicted and arrested in connection with a large-scale drug trafficking operation that funneled methamphetamine into Juneau from California, following a months-long investigation by state and federal law enforcement agencies, according to a press release by the Juneau Police Department.
Beginning in October 2024, Task Force Officers from the Alaska State Troopers’ Statewide Drug Enforcement Unit (SDEU) and Southeast Alaska Cities Against Drugs (SEACAD), working with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), launched an investigation into a drug trafficking organization operating out of Juneau.
The initial investigation began when task force members obtained evidence that showed that 41-year-old Juneau residents Patrick Iler, and 39-year-old Juneau resident Erika Porter were involved with the distributing methamphetamine throughout Juneau. 46-year-old Juneau resident Timothy Miller was identified as a distributor of methamphetamine working with Iler and Porter in Juneau.
Over the course of the investigation, law enforcement seized a combined 1.32 kilograms of methamphetamine, with an estimated street value of $130,000.
Investigators traced one of the drug sources to Highland, California. In May 2025, Alaska-based task force officers traveled to California and arrested 67-year-old Kinarla Miles, who is accused of supplying methamphetamine to the Juneau network.
Three other Juneau residents, 51-year-old Jerome Larue, 38-year-old Travis Lind, and 60-year-old Edie Seslar, were also arrested as co-conspirators.
Authorities estimate the drug ring distributed approximately 7 kilograms of methamphetamine in total, with an approximate street value of $700,000.
In May 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Anchorage indicted Miles, Larue, Lind, and Seslar on charges of drug conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.
In July 2025, additional indictments were filed against Miller, Porter, and Iler for drug conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Porter and Miller were arrested in Juneau on July 23 and 24 and booked into Lemon Creek Correctional Center on federal warrants.
The investigation is ongoing and involves coordination between the Alaska State Troopers, USPIS, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Anchorage.
Pearl Creek Elementary School is seen on June 3, 2025. The Fairbanks North Star Borough School District decided to close the school at the end of the academic year due to budget cuts. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
Three Alaska school districts have joined a coalition from across the country — including school districts, teachers unions, parents and advocacy groups — suing the Trump administration for blocking $6.8 billion in congressionally approved education funding.
The Anchorage, Fairbanks North Star Borough, and the Kuspuk school districts joined the lawsuit filed Monday in federal court. The suit challenges the withholding of funds as unlawful and unreasonable, as well as violating Congress’ authority and the separation of powers.
“The lawless and last-minute withholding of federal education funds is not just a bureaucratic failure—it is a direct attack on our most vulnerable students. Less than a month before school starts, we’ve been forced to plan for cuts instead of preparing to serve children,” said Fairbanks Superintendent Luke Meinert in a statement announcing the lawsuit.
The Trump administration has said it’s withholding the funds pending a review of the grant programs to ensure they align with the Republican president’s priorities, and to “prevent them from promoting a ‘left-wing’ agenda,” according to the lawsuit.
For Alaska, an estimated $46.4 million was allocated across five grant programs, according to the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development. That includes funding to support migrant education, academic enrichment, English language learning, and other types of instruction, as well as teachers’ professional development. In addition, an estimated $1.1 million was withheld for adult education programs.
According to the lawsuit, school districts nationwide are facing millions in budget shortfalls, and have had to “cancel orders for new curriculum, delay critical teacher training, pause contracts for services for English language learners, or take other actions to avoid incurring expenses that they cannot afford to pay without the money normally provided by the Formula Grant Programs.”
The Fairbanks North Star Borough School District serves more than 12,000 students across 33 schools, and has seen over $2.57 million frozen, according to the lawsuit.
“Without these Title program funds, nearly 200 education jobs are in jeopardy,” Meinert said. “Our classrooms will be less supported, and students will be left behind. This isn’t just fiscal irresponsibility—it’s a moral failure that jeopardizes the future of the very students federal law is meant to protect.”
The Kuspuk School District serves 320 students in nine schools across 12,000 square miles in Western Alaska — and has received national attention for its deteriorating school buildings and severe maintenance needs. It is facing over $180,000 in frozen funds.
Students attend class in a Kuspuk elementary school. (Photo provided by the Kuspuk School District)
Among the grants frozen was funding to support teacher training, school supplies, enrichment programs and English language learning, including for over 130 staff. “Because English is not the first language for more than 60% of the district’s teaching staff, sustained … training has been critical to ensuring educators can effectively support English Learners across subjects and grade levels,” according to the lawsuit.
Superintendent Madeline Aguillard said in a statement the programs are “not line items, they are lifelines” for students.
“These are not extras. These are the programs that give our students a chance,” she said. “When funding is blocked, it does not just stall services. It dismantles the systems we have built to reach those most in need. When the federal government walks away from its obligation, it is not a delay. It is denial. Denial of access. Denial of progress. Denial of the futures our students have a right to pursue.”
For Anchorage, the state’s largest district by population at more than 43,000 students in 94 schools, the frozen funds are estimated at $11.8 million.
In an interview last week on the district’s budget challenges ahead of the lawsuit, Superintendent Jharrett Bryantt said the funding freeze on July 1, at the start of the fiscal year was “severe,” particularly having just signed new contracts for teachers and staff. “If you offer somebody a role and no longer have the funds for it — it’s so unprecedented that the federal government would not essentially pay its bills on time because these monies were appropriated. This is not a budget reduction conversation. This is a executing the will of the Congress of conversation,” he said.
Anchorage Superintendent Jharrett Bryantt (Photo provided by the Anchorage School District)
The freeze comes amid an ongoing state education funding debate with the Alaska State Legislature meeting for a special session on Aug. 2, as well as a dispute over local contributions to school funding. School officials said this combination of issues is devastating to public education in Alaska. Earlier this year, the Anchorage School District reported it had to lay off 42 staff positions, and cut more than $30 million in salaries, benefits and services.
Bryantt said the district had to immediately lay off five staff members following the funding freeze announcement, and transfer about a dozen more to alternate roles. “We can make sure that folks are employed. That’s my top priority, in addition to the continuity of our students’ learning,” he said, and recruiting and hiring teachers is an ongoing challenge.
“Teachers are a national commodity,” he added.
The lawsuit, filed in a federal court in Rhode Island, names the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, its director Russ Vought, the U.S. Department of Education and Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. It asks a judge to compel the department to release the funds.
Alaska U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski joined nine other Republican senators in a letter to the Office of Management and Budget urging the department to release K-12 funds, as well as over $700 million for adult education programs.
Last week, the U.S. Department of Education announced it will release some of the withheld grants, an estimated $1.3 billion that goes to support after-school care and summer school programs, though it’s unclear when those funds will be received by districts.
While 94% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents said in a May 2025 survey that they are worried Medicaid cuts will lead to more adults and children losing their health insurance, 44% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents expressed concern about this, according to the KFF Health Tracking Poll.
Sure, their reasoning goes, bumps in the road are expected. But they think that most of the criticism of Trump and this latest bill is ultimately fake news spread by radical leftists who have what some call Trump Derangement Syndrome, meaning anti-Trump hysteria.
President Donald Trump holds up the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that he signed into law on July 4, 2025, at the White House. Alex Brandon − Pool/Getty Images
Trump alone can fix it
In the eyes of the MAGA faithful, Trump is no ordinary politician. To them, he is a savior who can help ward off the threat of radical left socialism. They believe Trump’s proclamation: “I alone can fix it.”
As I have repeatedly observed firsthand at Trump rallies and MAGA gatherings and heard in my conversations with Trump supporters, many Trump supporters – even those whom Democrats contend will be hurt by the bill – see the bill as a key step to making America great again. Doing so will not be easy and may cause some pain.
Even if the bill may cause some short-term pain, MAGA stalwarts contend, the apocalyptic claims of critics of massive health cuts are hoaxes spread by the radical left media. White House National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett, for example, dubbed the Medicare cut claims “a big fake news story.”
This view, based on my research and observations, is unsurprising. Trump has been pushing the “fake news conspiracy” theory, which holds that the media is part of the deep state, since his first term. He even dubbed the press “the enemy of the people.”
Trump’s fake news rhetorical strategy has been successful in helping him maintain support. Trump supporters take it for granted that negative news coverage of the president is most likely fake news.
There is already evidence that this depiction is resonating in places such as rural Nebraska, where many residents do not blame Trump for a health clinic that claims it is shutting down due to Medicaid cuts. “Anyone who’s saying that Medicaid cuts is why they’re closing is a liar,” said one woman of the clinic’s closure.
He withheld funding from the University of Pennsylvania until it agreed to ban transgender women from playing on women’s sports teams. Trump also cut $400 million in funding for Columbia University because the administration said it did not sufficiently protect Jewish students from harassment during Palestinian rights protests.
Recounting Trump’s foreign policy achievements, one conservative commentator gushed that Trump “promised we would win so much we’d get tired of winning. Instead, the wins keep coming – and America isn’t tired at all.”
Trumpism = Trump
Yet, Trump faces challenges.
A June 2025 KFF Health Tracking Poll found that support for the new legislation decreased when people were informed about its negative health care impact, for example.
Republicans could also face backlash in 2028 after the full impact of the act takes effect and people lose health insurance and other public benefits.
Regardless, I believe MAGA faithful will likely continue to support Trump.
Alex Hinton receives receives funding from the Rutgers-Newark Sheila Y. Oliver Center for Politics and Race in America, Rutgers Research Council, and Henry Frank Guggenheim Foundation.
The latest famous name to leave us is music legend Chuck Mangione.
The jazz trumpeter who famously played himself on the beloved animated sitcom King of the Hill was 84 years old.
Chuck Mangione performs at the “A Time To Care Gala” on May 13, 2004 at the Playboy Mansion in Holmby Hills, California. (Photo by Robert Bertoia/Getty Images)
A spokesperson confirmed to People magazine that Mangione passed away at his home in Rochester, New York on July 22.
No cause of death has been revealed.
Chuck Mangione leaves behind musical legacy
A two-time Grammy winner and 14-time nominee, Mangione released more than 30 albums over the course of his career.
He’s likely best remembered for his 1977 hit “Feels So Good.”
According to a biography on his official website, Chuck and his brother Gap Mangione were influenced from a young age by their parents’ love of music.
“Their father would invite these amazing artists to come home with them for a good home-cooked Italian meal,” the website states.
“Of course, they were more than happy to eat home cooking after being on the road. Chuck grew up thinking everyone had Carmen McRae and Art Blakey over for dinner.”
Chuck and Gap would go on to find acclaim as the Jazz Brothers Band. But it was as a solo artist that Chuck would reach his greatest success.
Chuck Mangione was a regular on the beloved series ‘King of the Hill.’ (YouTube)
Inducted into the Rochester Music Hall of Fame in 2012, Chuck was the winner of two Grammys: best pop instrumental performance for Children of Sanchez in 1979, and best instrumental composition for “Bellavia” in 1977.
He wrote the latter song for his beloved mother.
In the 1990s and early 2000s, Mangione reached a new generation of fans thanks to his frequent cameos on King of the Hill.
Our thoughts go out to Chuck Mangione’s loved ones as they mourn the loss of this music legend.
Initially, the longtime Worst Cooks in America host’s cause of death remained a mystery.
Five weeks after her tragic passing, the medical examiner’s report confirms that the overdose was not accidental.
Chef Anne Burrell poses during the Food Network & Cooking Channel New York City Wine & Food Festival presented by Capital One – Dinner with Anne Burrell and Marc Murphy part of the Bank of America Dinner Series at Chefs Club on October 10, 2019. (Photo Credit: Daniel Zuchnik/Getty Images for NYCWFF)
What was Anne Burrell’s cause of death?
People reports that the New York City medical examiner’s office specified that she died as a result of “acute intoxication due to the combined effects of diphenhydramine, ethanol, cetirizine, and amphetamine.”
If those sound commonplace, you’re right. Diphenhydramine and cetirizine are both antihistamines. Ethanol is a compound in alcohol (which one should not mix with antihistamines).
Amphetamine appears in various ADHD meds.
Anne Burrell attends the City Harvest 40th Anniversary Gala at Cipriani 42nd Street on April 25, 2023. (Photo Credit: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
Even in late June, there were suspicions that Burrell had passed away of an overdose.
Reports on her death had described her as being “unconscious and unresponsive” in the shower.
Surrounding her, the same report said, were “approximately (100) assorted pills.”
Anne Burrell attends the 2022 City Harvest “Red Supper Club” Fundraising Gala at Cipriani 42nd Street on April 26, 2022. (Photo Credit: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
Why did the M.E. take so long to rule that Anne Burrell died by suicide?
That sort of pill spill can happen without suicide.
For example, if Anne Burrell had been sorting her medications and suffered a fatal fall, that would have explained the mess.
Similarly, sometimes a malefactor will disguise foul play by scattering medication or various accoutrements to mislead investigators.
Chef Anne Burrell conducts a culinary presentation on KitchenAid stage at the Grand Tasting presented by ShopRite featuring KitchenAid® culinary demonstrations presented by MasterCard during the Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival Presented By FOOD & WINE at Pier 94 on October 19, 2014. (Photo Credit: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for NYCWFF)
Additionally, not all fatal overdoses are suicides. Even if there is no foul play.
People forget taking a dose and accidentally overdose.
They might confuse one medication for another and take too much.
Or, of course, medications can have fatal interactions that look like an overdose.
Clearly, the medical examiner’s office was able to rule out other possibilities in order to confirm the tragic suicide for what it is.
Chef Anne Burrell poses during the Food Network & Cooking Channel New York City Wine & Food Festival presented by Capital One – Dinner with Anne Burrell and Marc Murphy part of the Bank of America Dinner Series at Chefs Club on October 10, 2019. (Photo Credit: Daniel Zuchnik/Getty Images for NYCWFF)
Fans and loved ones alike continue to mourn
Anne Burrell was more than a beloved celebrity chef who entertained viewers and helped the country’s “worst cooks” improve. Though she was very much that.
“Anne was a beloved wife, sister, daughter, stepmother, and friend — her smile lit up every room she entered,” her family said in tribute after her passing.
Burrell remains a beloved figure for television cooking fans. Our thoughts remain with her loved ones as they continue to grieve.
Anyone experiencing suicidal ideation can call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7.
The wrestling world is not the only industry in mourning at the moment.
Earlier today, we learned that Hulk Hogan had died of a suspected cardiac arrest inside of his home in Clearwater, Florida.
The legendary WWE and WCW star was 71 years old.
Likely the most famous wrestler of all-time, Hogan almost became more influential in the realm of politics over the last several months.
Hulk Hogan speaks at a campaign rally for former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at Madison Square Garden in New York on October 27, 2024. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP) (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
As you can see above, for example, he spoke in support of Donald Trump at the 2024 Republican Convention and appeared numerous times afterward as a guest on Fox News.
Hence the President’s reaction to Hogan’s passing on Thursday afternoon.
“We lost a great friend today, the ‘Hulkster,’” Trump wrote on Truth Social after hearing the news. “Hulk Hogan was MAGA all the way — Strong, tough, smart, but with the biggest heart.”
Trump went on to recall Hogan’s enthusiasm on the 2024 presidential campaign trial, writing about his “absolutely electric speech at the Republican National Convention” which he called “one of the highlights of the entire week.”
Shockingly, yes, Trump made Hogan’s death largely about himself.
(Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
“He entertained fans from all over the World, and the cultural impact he had was massive,” Trump continued. “To his wife, Sky, and family, we give our warmest best wishes and love. Hulk Hogan will be greatly missed!”
During a news conference Thursday, Clearwater Police Maj. Nate Burnside said the icon died at 11:17 a.m., later adding, there are “no signs of foul play or suspicious activity.”
According to TMZ, a 911 call was placed about an hour and half prior… which resulted in Hogan getting treated by Clearwater Fire & Rescue personnel before being taken to a nearby hospital.
He was then pronounced dead at that hospital.
Hulk Hogan attends WWE 20th Anniversary Celebration Marking Premiere of WWE Friday Night SmackDown on FOX at Staples Center on October 4, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jerod Harris/Getty Images)
As much as any single wrestler could be, Hulk Hogan was responsible for the massive rise of the WWE in the 1980s.
He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005, although he was then removed in 2015 after a scandal erupted over racist remarks he made while he was being secretly recorded during a sexual encounter with his friend’s wife.
The superstar was inducted a second time in the WWE Hall of Fame in 2020, this time as a member of NWO, an organization he helped create back when he was an employee of World Championship Wrestling.
Hulk Hogan attends a New Era In Florida Gaming Event at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tampa on December 8, 2023 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
Hogan, meanwhile, also spoke at a Donald Trump rally in New York City in October and said back then that his friendship with Trump went back more than “35 years,” adding in front of the audience:
“I just had a flashback, man. This is really trippy. The last time I was up on stage, Donald Trump was sitting ringside at the Trump Plaza. I was bleeding like a pig, and I won the world title right in front of Donald J. Trump,” he said. “You know something? He’s going to win in November and we’re all going to be champions again when he wins.”
The grappler continued to show support for Trump in the months that followed, too; on Inauguration Day in January, for example, he shared an Instagram photo with Trump to promote his Real American beer brand.
“Two Real American Legends,” he captioned the snapshot.
Donald Trump speaks to the media as he departs the White House on July 15, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Elsewhere, a number of Hogan’s former colleagues have paid tribute to the late wrestler.
Most notably, perhaps, there was this from fellow in-ring legend Ric Flair:
“Am Absolutely Shocked To Hear About The Passing Of My Close Friend @hulkhogan! Hulk Has Been By My Side Since We Started In The Wrestling Business. An Incredible Athlete, Talent, Friend, And Father!”
“Our Friendship Has Meant The World To Me. He Was Always There For Me Even When I Didn’t Ask For Him To Be. He Was One Of The First To Visit Me When I Was In The Hospital With A 2% Chance Of Living, And He Prayed By My Bedside.
“Hulk Also Lent Me Money When Reid Was Sick. Hulkster, No One Will Ever Compare To You! Rest In Peace My Friend!”
Hulk Hogan greets the crowd during the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Crown Jewel pay-per-view at the King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh on November 2, 2018. (Photo by Fayez Nureldine / AFP)
Added Triple H:
WWE would not be where it is today without the larger-than-life characters that compete in the ring … and few, if any, loomed larger than Terry “Hulk Hogan” Bollea.
He was the archetype of what it meant to be a “Superstar” – a global sensation that inspired millions to work hard at whatever it was they wanted to accomplish and a look that made him recognizable to fans around the world.
Hulk Hogan, clad in red and yellow or nWo black and white, was simply put, iconic. As a Real American or the leader of one of the industry’s biggest factions, he transcended and elevated the entire business to heights never before seen – in every country and on every continent.
There was no one like The Hulkster and there very well may never be another. My family sends their condolences to his family, friends, and fans.
That may be why the Piano Man decided to break his silence and open up about his condition:
US singer songwriter Billy Joel arrives for the 66th Annual Grammy Awards at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on February 4, 2024. (Photo by ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)
Billy Joel explains ‘scary’ neurological condition
Joel is battling normal pressure hydrocephalus, a condition that affects numerous brain functions, including the ability to maintain balance.
The singer-songwriter first became concerned after falling down during a concert earlier this year.
“It was like being on a boat all the time,” Joel explains in a new interview with People magazine.
But while he admits that his ailment is “scary” at times, Joel says there’s no need for immediate concern.
Billy Joel attends the 66th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 04, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
“I know a lot of people are worried about me and my health, but I’m okay,” he says.
“What I have is something very few people know about, including me, no matter how much you try to research it. I’m doing my best to work with it and to recover from it.”
Joel added that while it may be a while before he’s able to perform again, he’s not “deathly ill,” as some fans seem to think.
“It was scary, but I’m okay,” he tells People. “I just wanted to let people know, don’t worry about me being deathly ill or anything.”
Billy Joel is back in the headlines
With the second part of his HBO Max documentary set to premiere on Friday, public interest in Joel is the highest it’s been since the peak of his fame.
Billy Joel performs at Allegiant Stadium on November 09, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
“I’ve resisted this kind of thing for so long. I’m sick of talking about myself. My goal was to get it over with. When I do interviews, people just ask you about yourself and you get a little self-conscious about it eventually. It’s almost embarrassing,” the legendary singer-songwriter tells People, adding:
“I was worried, maybe I’m going to hate this thing, because it’s a lot to ask of somebody, a lifetime of work.[But] at the end, I didn’t hate it, which, to me, is the real compliment.”
While the doc is not always flattering, Joel says watching it has been a revelatory experience:
I“There was some stuff I found out about myself. There was some self-revelatory stuff.”
Joel says co-director Susan Lacy helped him realize that “a lot of the things I was searching for were my father in my life, and I recognized that in the documentary.”
Joel’s father left his family and moved to Austria when Billy was a boy. He later wrote the song “Vienna” about the experience, and he reconnected with his father toward the end of his life.
Part one of Billy Joel: And So It Goes is currently streaming on HBO Max.
