Billy Joel cancels his memoir due in June

Stop the presses: Billy Joel has canceled his planned memoir, just 11 weeks before it was scheduled to be published.

Joel told The Associated Press on Thursday that "The Book of Joel," due June 14 from HarperCollins, would not come out. The memoir, written with veteran music journalist Fred Schruers, was billed as an "emotional ride" that would detail the music legend's failed marriage to Christie Brinkley, as well as his battles with substance abuse.

"It took working on writing a book to make me realize that I'm not all that interested in talking about the past, and that the best expression of my life and its ups and downs has been and remains my music," Joel said.

HarperCollins confirmed that the deal with Joel, 61, had been canceled. Spokeswoman Tina Andreadis said he had turned in a finished manuscript but that no copies had been printed. The publisher had planned a first printing of 250,000 copies.

It is widely believed that Joel received a seven-figure advance for the book.

Joel isn't the first musician to cancel a book. Mick Jagger backed out of a deal in the early 1980s, saying he couldn't remember anything of interest. Sean "P. Diddy" Combs never turned in a memoir that he was supposed to write for Random House Inc. and ended up being sued in 2005 for money the publisher claimed he owed.

Other rock stars have had major success with their memoirs, including Keith Richards, whose "Life" has appeared on bestseller lists and received positive reviews.

With AP