{
  "id": 6261847,
  "title": "Billy Joel Mourns Death of Early Bandmate Jon Small",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/08/billy-joel-mourns-death-of-early-bandmate-jon-small",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-08T09:23:28.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Billboard",
    "slug": "billboard",
    "url": "https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/billy-joel-mourns-death-jon-small-1236335547/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Billy Joel mourned the death of his early bandmate and long-time friend, Jon Small. The Piano Man announced Small's passing on social media, but the age and cause of death remain unknown. Joel and Small first met in Long Island rock clubs and later formed two bands together, The Hassles and Attila. Small's involvement with Joel's personal life led to the dissolution of Attila and a painful affair that strained their friendship. Despite the rift, the two reconciled and worked together on several projects, including music videos for various artists. Small's contributions extended beyond his musical collaborations with Joel, as he directed several of the piano man's concert films and videos.",
  "summary": "Joel announced Small’s death in a tribute shared on social media.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}