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Billy Joel checks into hospital©Associated PressJune 20, 2002 NEW YORK -- Billy Joel has checked himself into a substance abuse and psychiatric hospital for a "personal problem," his record label said Wednesday. The 53-year-old, Grammy-winning singer-songwriter is staying at Silver Hill Hospital in New Canaan, Conn. Joel's stay was first reported in Wednesday's the Advocate of Stamford. A brief statement released by Columbia Records said: "Billy Joel recently checked himself into Silver Hill Hospital for a planned 10-day stay to deal with a specific and personal problem that had recently developed. "Joel scheduled his stay in Silver Hill several weeks ago and expects to leave in a few days, as planned." The Advocate, citing unidentified sources, said the singer was receiving counseling at Silver Hill's chemical dependency treatment center. A spokeswoman for the singer, Claire Mercuri, declined to comment on the kind of treatment Joel is receiving. Joel, whose hits include Piano Man, Just the Way You Are, Only the Good Die Young and Uptown Girl, in March rescheduled a joint tour with Elton John, saying he was ill. The tour is to begin again in September. The two performed at Tampa's Ice Palace on March 9, but canceled a second show slated for March 11 when Joel called in sick. That show has been rescheduled for Sept. 13. A review in the New York Times of a show shortly before the postponement described him as rambling and bellowing, and said Joel "seemed to have ingested something quite a bit stronger than cough syrup." He was placed under a doctor's supervision for acute laryngitis, inflamed vocal cords and an upper-respiratory infection, according to Sony Entertainment's Billy Joel Web site, www.billyjoel.com. A long list of celebrities have spent time at Silver Hill's psychiatric and substance abuse treatment center. Pop star Mariah Carey checked in last summer after an "emotional and physical breakdown," according to her publicist. Other patients have included Michael Jackson, Liza Minnelli, Gregg Allman and Joan Kennedy.
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From the wire |
