NEW YORK — Billy Joel mourned the death of his friend and former bandmate, drummer Jon Small, on Monday. He was in his late 70s.

“RIP Jon Small,” Joel posted on social media alongside a photo of the pair together.

Small and Joel, 77, grew up together on Long Island and played together in the rock bands The Hassles and Attila before personal issues drove them apart in 1970.

Small later found success as a music video producer and director. He reunited with Joel to film videos for songs including “Tell Her About It,” “Piano Man,” and “Baby Grand.”

In 1986 he teamed up with Run D.M.C. and Aerosmith to shoot their classic “Walk the Way” collaboration.

He also worked with Whitney Houston, Sting, Meatloaf and Taylor Swift, according to the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame, which inducted Small and the Hassles in June 2025.

Small and Joel’s relationship grew complicated when the “Piano Man” became romantically involved with his former drummer’s wife Elizabeth Weber Small, whom Joel married in 1973.

“I was just in love with a woman and I got punched in the nose, which I deserved, ” Joel confessed in the 2005 documentary “Billy Joel: And So it Goes.” “Jon was very upset. I was very upset.”

Despite being unhappy about the affair, Joel said when his guilt over the betrayal drove him to attempt suicide, Small drove him to the hospital.

Small said he forgave Joel for the betrayal. Joel and Elizabeth divorced in 1982.

Small talked about his relationship with other rock stars in the “Glass Houses” podcast in June 2025 when The Hassles were honored on Long Island. He said the “best” guy he worked with was Garth Brooks.

“I learned how to be a normal person working with him, because back in the early days I was a screamer,” Small confessed.

That podcast mourned Small’s death on Monday.

“He was always kind, approachable, generous with his time, and a wonderful conversation,” their obituary said. “He will be deeply missed by everyone whose lives he touched through his work and friendship.”

A funeral service will be held Wednesday at noon in Great Neck. Small will be buried at New Montefiore Cemetery in West Babylon. No cause of death has been reported.

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