Billy Joel has announced the death of Jon Small, his early bandmate and long-time collaborator, sharing a tribute on social media. Small's death matters partly because of the pair's storied history: their friendship, band and later working relationship spanned decades and helped shape Joel's early career and public image, including through the recently released documentary *And So It Goes*, which revisited their story.

Joel and Small played together in the Hassles in the 1960s before forming the hard rock duo Attila, which split in 1970 after Joel fell in love with Small's then-wife, Elizabeth Weber, resulting in a painful rift, Joel's eviction from Small's home, and, eventually, Joel and Weber's marriage from 1973 to 1982. Small and Joel later reconciled, with Small going on to direct several of Joel's concert films, including Live From Long Island and Live at Shea Stadium, as well as the "Baby Grand" video; he also directed videos for Reba McEntire, Enrique Iglesias and Brooks & Dunn. Small's age and cause of death have not been confirmed.