Billy Joel Became A ‘Homey’ For His Wife 33 Years His Junior And Their Kids & The Couple Celebrates Their Love

Jul 11, 2023

Billy Joel started his music career in high school, but it took a while for him to become established. Joel's parents loved music and met during a music performance at City College of New York. When he was four, he started learning the piano because his mom insisted on it. 

Joel's parents divorced when he was 10, and his dad left the US for Europe because he had fled Germany during the Nazi persecution. His mom took up his and his sister's care, and Joel dropped out of high school after missing an important exam while trying to support her. Consequently, the songwriter decided to make a career out of his passion for music. 

Joel started recording with his first band, the Echoes, in 1965. Two years later, he joined The Hassles, but the group recorded no success with their songs. Hence, Joel and another bandmate, Jon Small, left the group to start their little band, Attila. The duo separated in 1971. Around the same time, Joel's failed career and relationship got him depressed, so he decided to take his life. He opted to drink furniture polish instead of bleach because it looked tastier. He ended up farting furniture polish for days. 

Joel credited his time in an observation center after his suicide attempt as an eye-opening moment for him. After several attempts, the "Uptown Girl" singer became successful and won several awards later in his career. He also had a successful marriage.

Joel and his wife, Alexis Roderick, celebrated their 8th anniversary on July 4, 2023, with a post on Instagram. The couple has stayed together for a long time despite the 33-year gap between them. Continue reading to find out more about Joel and Roderick's story. 

Joel has tied the knot four times in his life. He also wrote songs for all three of his ex-wives. The "Just The Way You Are" singer married his first wife, Elizabeth Weber, in 1973. Before that time, Joel had been having an affair with Weber when she was still married to his bandmate, Small. The latter found out about their romance, and Weber left both men. 

However, she and Joel met again and reconciled. Joel also made her his manager and wrote "Just the Way You Are," "She's Got a Way" and "She's Always a Woman" for her. The duo divorced in 1982.

The "Honestly" singer met his second spouse, Christie Brinkley, in 1983 during the divorce from Weber. He was vacationing in St. Barts when he met the supermodel and her friends, Whitney Houston and Elle Macpherson, also a model. At the time, Joel was initially torn between the two models, but he soon made his choice and stuck with Brinkley. 

Brinkley and Joel said their vows two years later, in 1985, and welcomed their only child together, Alexa Ray, the same year. He wrote "This Is The Time" and an album, "An Innocent Man," for Brinkley. There are also speculations that he wrote "Uptown Girl" for MacPherson. Brinkley and Joel divorced in 1994.

Joel married his third wife, celebrity chef and author Katie Lee in 2004, a year after they met. Joel and Lee had a 32-year gap between them, but they bonded quickly nonetheless, especially over food. The pair met in New York while Joel was on tour. They called it quits on their marriage in 2009, stating they would remain friends. Before their marriage ended, Lee inspired the entertainer to write "All My Life" for their second anniversary. 

Joel and Roderick tied the knot in 2015 after dating for six years. The former risk manager was with friends in a restaurant when she caught Joel's eye. He got her number and asked her to drive him home after eating. Roderick had no intentions of being with him, but they started dating soon after. 

Joel and Roderick welcomed their first daughter, Della Rose Joel, in 2015, and her sister, Remy Anne Joel, came two years later. Before their marriage, Roderick gave up her job at Morgan Stanley. Joel had also stopped releasing new songs. However, he said this about writing music:

"I’m still writing music, I just stopped writing words." He added, "Music speaks to me on its own. But I’ve never closed the door on writing songs."

Although the renowned musician didn't release new songs for years, he continued to tour and perform at Madison Square Gardens (MSG) for a long time. However, he began cutting down on work and eventually reduced his MSG performances to once a month.  

As to why he did that, Joel said, "This is my fourth marriage now. It’s not good for a relationship to be gone for that long. So I became a homey." 

Joel celebrated his eighth anniversary with Roderick on July 4, 2023, with a post on Instagram. "Happy Anniversary Alexis and Billy!" he captioned a photo of himself and his wife smiling at the camera. The twosome has a 33-year-age gap between them. 

The couple wore sunglasses, and Billy sported a gray and pink baseball cap. He paired it with a navy blue hoodie and a black T-shirt. Alexis, on her part, wore a denim jacket and had a green bag strapped across one shoulder. Her blonde hair fell around her shoulders as well. Many of the couple’s fans and well-wishers took turns to wish them a happy anniversary. 

What do you think about Billy Joel's life and career? Does his success inspire you? Have you listened to any of his songs? Which ones are your favorite? Let us know — and be sure to pass this article on to friends, family members and fans of Billy Joel.