Elton John Outs Billy Joel

In an upcoming issue of "Rolling Stone" Elton John outs Billy as an alcoholic.

In the February 17th issue of "Rolling Stone", ELTON JOHN is publicly outing BILLY JOEL as an alcoholic, and asking him to get help.

This wouldn't be the first time Billy has gone to rehab. He spent a month in a California facility in 2005,  and he was also treated for alcohol abuse in Connecticut in 2002.

But Elton says Billy is at the point where he needs to step it up, and go through a more hardcore rehab program, like he did. He says he wants Billy to do it so that he can, quote, "do something better" with his life.

Elton also says he knows that Billy is going to "hate" him for saying this in "Rolling Stone", but he says he's doing it out of "tough love."

Neither Billy nor his reps have commented yet.

(via Showbiz » The Complete Sheet » Wise Brother Media.)

Do you think Elton John is saying this for publicity?  Do you think he is truly concerned about his friend and this is sort of an intervention?  Leave a comment below to let us know your thoughts.