Jon Small, who played alongside Billy Joel in the Hassles and Attila before a personal rupture and later reconciliation, has died. His age and cause of death were not immediately known.
Billy Joel has confirmed the death of Jon Small, his bandmate in the 1960s group the Hassles and the hard rock duo Attila. Joel shared a brief tribute on social media; Small’s age and cause of death were not made public.
Small and Joel’s history included a close friendship and a painful break. After Attila released its debut album in 1970, Joel was living with Small and Small’s wife, Elizabeth Weber. Joel fell in love with Weber, a situation both men discussed in the documentary And So It Goes.
Small recalled Joel telling him, “I’m in love with your wife,” and described the moment as devastating: “These were basically my two best friends.” Joel acknowledged feeling like a homewrecker and said he was punched in the nose, which he deserved. The affair ended Attila and temporarily severed the friendship.
The two eventually reconciled. Small worked on Joel’s concert films Live From Long Island and Live at Shea Stadium and directed the video for “Baby Grand.” He also directed videos for Reba McEntire, Enrique Iglesias, and Brooks & Dunn.
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