Billy Joel's rep denies death speculation after reported Google error

Hear this story A week after Billy Joel revealed he had undergone brain surgery , his publicist addressed an error that reportedly led Google users to believe the singer had died.

A representative for the 77-year-old confirmed in an email to USA TODAY on Thursday, Sept. 17, that the musician is still alive.

Earlier in the day, several social media users expressed confusion about whether the "Piano Man" singer was alive. At least one screenshot shared online appeared to show a Google search result listing Sept. 17 as Joel's date of death. Separately, one X user alleged the same date appeared on Joel's Wikipedia page.

USA TODAY reached out to Google and Wikipedia for comment.