\n<\/p>\n
\n\tBilly Joel<\/a> paid tribute to Jon Small days after the death of his longtime friend and former bandmate.<\/p>\n \n\tJoel announced<\/a> on Sunday that Small had died in a simple post on social media. On Thursday, the Piano Man followed that up with a lengthy remembrance to his \u201cbest friend.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cJon was like a brother to me. No matter the distance or how much time passed, we shared a bond that never changed,\u201d Joel wrote.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cJon and I were just kids when we decided we wanted to become professional musicians together. That decision became a turning point in both of our lives. We took a huge gamble on a life of creativity, without knowing where it would lead us.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tJoel and Small were bandmates in the Hassles in the Sixties and then formed the hard-rock duo Attila. After the latter released their debut album in 1970 \u2014 and while Joel was living with Small and his wife, Elizabeth Weber \u2014 the future Piano Man fell in love with Weber, a situation examined at length in the\u00a0recent documentary\u00a0And So It Goes<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\tThe affair resulted in Attila\u2019s breakup, the (temporary) end of his best-friendship, and Joel getting evicted from Small\u2019s house. Joel and Weber eventually reunited, and the pair wed. The marriage lasted from 1973 to 1982.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWhat we shared went far beyond music or careers. Jon saved my life, metaphorically and physically. Our lives and families became intertwined in ways I could never have imagined when we first met,\u201d Joel wrote Thursday.<\/p>\n \n\tSmall and Joel would also eventually reconcile, with Small working on the Piano Man\u2019s concert films, such as\u00a0Live From Long Island<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Live at Shea Stadium<\/em>, as well as directing the \u201cBaby Grand\u201d video.<\/p>\n