Billy Joel opens up about his struggles with divorce and alcohol in the new HBO documentary Billy Joel: And So It Goes. The 76-year-old singer reveals how his third marriage ended and led him to meet his current wife.
The “Big Shot” singer went through his third divorce from Katie Lee in 2009. He describes this period as one of his darkest times.
“I was going through another divorce. Three times. A three-time loser. And the fear of being alone again, dying alone, not having that person in my life anymore… and getting old. So I was drinking again, just to kind of ease that pain. So yeah, it was kind of a lost time.”
Joel and Lee met at the Peninsula Hotel in New York City in 2002. They married two years later.
During their marriage, Joel’s drinking became a serious problem. Lee pushed him to get help.
“She kind of gave me an ultimatum. ‘Either you do something about your drinking or this isn’t gonna work out,'”
Joel recalled.
The relationship deteriorated as their lives went in different directions.
“At that point, yeah, the relationship wasn’t doing well. She became very career-oriented and she wanted to be in the city, she wanted to socialize,”
he said.
Joel also addressed rumors about Lee having an affair.
“That’s a bunch of bulls—. We just drifted apart from each other.”
Lee believed her push for Joel to enter rehab at the Betty Ford Center created lasting tension. She explained that pushing him toward treatment was
“hard on our relationship.”
The end came during a simple dinner conversation.
“And I remember one night, we had dinner and I said, ‘Bill, I’m unhappy.’ And he said, ‘Do you want to get a divorce?’ And I said, ‘Yeah.’ And he said ‘OK.’ And that was it,”
Lee recalled.
Meeting Alexis
Joel met Alexis Roderick in 2009 at a restaurant in Huntington, New York. He introduced himself and they started dating shortly after.
Joel wasn’t sure he could handle another relationship after three failed marriages.
“When you meet someone who captures your imagination, it renews, it revitalizes…. I don’t know if I was open to starting a new relationship. I thought that wasn’t gonna be possible. How am I gonna be able to do that again? I can’t go through that again. But all of a sudden, something happened. Something popped. And I was open to it.”
Alexis worked as an executive at Morgan Stanley when they met. Joel had stepped back from touring and found himself in a different role at home.
“She was in charge of a whole section of a financial company and she was successful at it. And I wasn’t really thinking about working anymore. So I was home a lot. And when she got home, there I was cooking and serving dinner.”
The couple married in 2015 during what guests thought was just a July 4th party. Joel surprised the 40 attendees with wedding vows.
Billy and Alexis share two daughters: Della, 9, and Remy, 7. Joel also has daughter Alexa Ray with his second wife Christie Brinkley.
Despite his past struggles, Joel remains optimistic about love.
“And even after everything I’ve gone through, I still believe in love, I still believe in relationships. And it’s always a big factor in my life. I probably am a romantic at heart.”
Joel recently shared his diagnosis of normal pressure hydrocephalus. Alexis thanked fans on Instagram for their support.
“We are so grateful for the wonderful care and swift diagnosis we received. Bill is beloved by so many, and to us, he is a father and husband who is at the center of our world. We are hopeful for his recovery. We look forward to seeing you all in the future.”
In a recent People cover story, Joel said he’s
“really enjoying this time in my life”
as a husband and father of three.
Both parts of Billy Joel: And So It Goes are available to stream on HBO Max.
