Billy Preston’s Joyful Music and a Life of Hidden Pain

At the 1971 Bangladesh benefit at Madison Square Garden, Billy Preston stepped out of his role as a valued sideman to deliver a showstopping performance of "That’s the Way God Planned It." Known for electric piano parts on Beatles songs — including a contribution to "Get Back" that earned him co-billing — and for playing on the Beatles’ rooftop concert, he soon scored a No.

2 hit with the instrumental "Outa-Space." His public prominence contrasted sharply with a private life he kept sealed. Preston never spoke publicly about being a gay man or about the abuse he had endured, and he died in 2006 at 59 from organ failure exacerbated by years of drug and alcohol abuse.

"There was this mystery about his life," says the documentary director Paris Barclay, who spent years earning the trust of Preston’s closest friends to tell the story. Raised in the church, Preston played piano from age 3, sang in his mother’s choir and performed with gospel greats such as Mahalia Jackson by age 10.

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