Despite Billy Joel’s tremendous success in his music career, he hasn’t been quite lucky with his love affairs.
Perhaps that explains how he’s able to write so many classic love songs – as they say, broken hearts make the most beautiful music. And if you look at his discography, most of his tracks were inspired by his past relationships.
Now that the Piano Man is 72 years old, the time is ticking for him to find his one true love. In this article, let us reminisce all the adventures Billy Joel had in the name of love – most particularly, the ups and downs of his marriages.
The Many Ex-Wives of Billy Joel
So far, Billy Joel has been married four times to four different women: Elizabeth Weber, Christie Brinkley, Katie Lee, and Alexis Roderick.
Interestingly, none of his marriages was short-term, which is unlike other celebrities who could only stay married for a few months and jump to another person’s arms a week after the break-up.
This just goes to show how serious Billy Joel is when it comes to finding love. He even expressed his sorrow in his biography:
“I see old folks walking down the street who look like they’ve been together 50 years, and there’s something very touching about it – that they’ve lasted so long. I used to wonder: How come I don’t have that? I can dream about it, think about it, write music and lyrics and sing about it. I can even try to achieve it again, and often have.”
Well, what did go wrong with his past relationships, anyway? Let’s find out by looking at them one by one.
Elizabeth Weber: Billy Joel’s First Love
Some say first love never dies – perhaps there’s some truth to it, because experiencing love for the first time can usually be addicting. The rush, the thrill, the butterflies in your stomach. For Billy Joel, his feelings for Elizabeth Weber were so strong that it drove him literally insane.
The two met through Billy Joel’s friend and bandmate, Jon Small, who also happened to be Elizabeth’s husband at the time. Billy then had an affair with Elizabeth behind Jon’s back, and when he found out, Elizabeth decided to leave them both.
As Billy was madly in love with her, their break-up severely affected his mental and emotional health – so much so that he needed to be admitted to a mental institution.
In 1973, Elizabeth and Billy got back together and tied the knot. She then became his manager, who persistently asked Billy if she would receive some monetary compensation for inspiring him to write his hit songs Just The Way You Are and She’s Got A Way.
For nine years, they kept their marriage together until Billy discovered that Elizabeth’s brother, whom he also hired to work for him, stole millions of dollars from Billy. Their marriage eventually ended tragically, with Billy Joel suing Weber for $90million.
Christie Brinkley: The Supermodel Wife
One of the hottest supermodels of her time, Christie Brinkley, was the girl of every man’s dreams. That is why Billy could not believe his luck when he attracted Christie’s attention.
She was infamously known for competing with co-model Elle MacPherson to win Billy Joel’s heart. In the end, though, Billy chose Christie.
Billy and Christie wed in 1985. In the same year, they welcomed their first daughter together named Alexa Rey Joel.
Their marriage hit a rough patch when Billy experienced some financial troubles due to his court battle with Weber. Christie, being his wife, tried to be supportive by appearing in several of his music videos. But that wasn’t enough. The couple called it quits after spending nine years together.
If you’re curious as to what their relationship was like, listen to Billy Joel’s An Innocent Man album as he made it based on their love affair. It includes songs such as:
- Tell Her About It
- This Night
- Christie Lee
- Keeping The Faith
- Careless Talk
Katie Lee: The Youngest and Quickest Fling
By the time Billy Joel married Katie Lee, many people did not approve of their age gap. Billy was 55 years old, while Katie was 23. Some even joked that he was already old enough to be her grandfather.
However, age doesn’t matter – at least for Billy and Katie. Their love story is a testament to the claim that the quickest way to a man’s heart is through his stomach since Katie must have used her amazing culinary skills to win over Billy’s heart.
And yet, according to a close family friend of theirs, their age difference ultimately caught up with them, which eventually pushed them to break up.
“They grew apart. She is very career-oriented. She loves going out. She loves the city. When Billy isn’t touring, he’d rather be on Long Island with his motorcycles and boats.”
Alexis Roderick: The Current Wife
Three divorces later, it seems that Billy Joel has finally found the right one. Alexis and Billy met in the same year he divorced his previous wife. They dated for six years before finally tying the knot in 2015 in a surprise wedding ceremony.
Furthermore, they share two daughters together, namely:
- Della Rose Joel
- Remmy Anne Joel
Seven years later, the pair are still happily married. We do hope that this relationship of theirs ends happily ever after!
