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If you don\u2019t know about Billy Joel<\/a>\u2019s dramatic early days, the new documentary about him fills in the blanks. <\/p>\n The first part of \u201cBilly Joel: And So It Goes<\/a>,\u201d premiered at Tribeca Festival<\/a>in New York City earlier this year and it\u2019s a jaw-dropper.<\/p>\n During the first part of the documentary, the \u201cVienna\u201d singer, 76, revealed that he\u2019s been through two suicide attempts and as a result, fell into a coma. <\/p>\n The downward spiral occurred after he had an affair with his former bandmate\u2019s wife.<\/p>\n The dark period in his life happened in his 20s, when he was in a band called Attila, along with his best friend Jon Small. At the time, he moved in with Small, his wife Elizabeth Weber and their son.<\/p>\n \u201cBill and I spent a lot of time together,\u201d Weber noted in the documentary, mentioning that their bond was a \u201cslow build.\u201d <\/p>\n Small then realized something was going on and Joel came to him with the truth. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m in love with your wife,\u201d Joel finally confessed. <\/p>\n \u201cI felt very, very guilty about it. They had a child. I felt like a homewrecker,\u201d Joel admitted. \u201cI was just in love with a woman and I got punched in the nose which I deserved. Jon was very upset. I was very upset.\u201d<\/p>\n The scuffle between the two men marked the end of Attila and was the end of their friendship for a long time. During this time, Weber left and this led to Joel\u2019s excessive drinking, per People<\/a>. <\/p>\n This was the beginning of a dark spiral for the star. <\/p>\n \u201cI had no place to live. I was sleeping in laundromats and I was depressed I think to the point of almost being psychotic,\u201d the \u201cPiano Man\u201d singer said in the documentary. \u201cSo I figured, \u2018That\u2019s it. I don\u2019t want to live anymore.\u2019 I was just in a lot of pain and it was sort of like why hang out, tomorrow is going to be just like today is and today sucks. So, I just thought I\u2019d end it all.\u201d<\/p>\n At the time, Joel\u2019s sister, Judy Molinari worked as a medical assistant and gave her brother sleeping pills to help with sleep.<\/p>\n But it wasn\u2019t the normal kind of sleep Joel had in mind. <\/p>\n \u201cBilly decided that he was going to take all of them\u2026 he was in a coma for days and days and days,” Molinari said in the documentary, clearly emotional as she recalled the event: \u201cI went to go see him in the hospital, and he was laying there white as a sheet. I thought that I\u2019d killed him.\u201d<\/p>\n The singer thought back to that time and realized how \u201cvery selfish\u201d he was for attempting to take his own life. He even remembered coming to, contemplating on doing it again \u2013 but \u201cright\u201d this time. <\/p>\n The second time he attempted suicide was when he chugged a bottle of Lemon Pledge, according to Molinari. For that attempt, Small was able to take Joel to the hospital. <\/p>\n \u201cEven though our friendship was blowing up, Jon saved my life,\u201d Joel revealed.<\/p>\n \u201cHe never really said anything to me,\u201d Small recalled. \u201cThe only practical answer I can give as to why Billy took it so hard was because he loved me that much and that it killed him to hurt me that much. Eventually I forgave him.\u201d<\/p>\n After the suicide attempts, Joel felt detached from himself and made the decision to check himself into an \u201cobservation ward.\u201d He was then released weeks later, only to realize that the entire experience was life changing. <\/p>\n He decided to take what he\u2019s been through and turn it into something positive. <\/p>\n \u201cI got out of the observation ward and I thought to myself, you can utilize all those emotions to channel that stuff into music,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n As for Weber and Joel, fortunately the two reunited years later, which culminated into a marriage from 1973-1982. <\/p>\n \u201cBilly Joel: And So It Goes\u201d is now available on HBO.<\/p>\n If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement<\/a> and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and\/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n