Billy Joel is one of the greatest musicians of his generation, but along with his music, it’s his children who will remain as his legacy.
The “Piano Man” singer, who released his first single in 17 years in 2024 with “Turn the Lights Back On,” has been married four times. In the 70s he enjoyed a relationship with Attila band mate who would later become his manager, Elizabeth Weber Small. The two divorced in 1982 after nine years of marriage.
Three years later, the Grammy-winning artist married supermodel Christie Brinkley with whom he welcomed his first of three daughters. Also nine years later, Joel and Brinkley divorced, but are still on good terms today. He would also marry 23-year-old chef Katie Lee in 2004 (Joel was 55) but the two went their separate ways five years later.
His current marriage to former equestrian and Wall Street executive Alexis Roderick began in 2015 after a surprise ceremony on the 4th of July. They had been dating for six years and have remained happily married to this day despite their 33-year-old age difference. Roderick (or “A-Rod,” as Joel affectionately nicknamed his wife) and the musician have two daughters together.
Who are Billy Joel’s daughters?
Billy Joel has three daughters. Fellow singer-songwriter Alexa Ray (named after Joel’s friend, idol, and collaborator Ray Charles) was born Dec. 29, 1985. She grew up listening, playing, and writing music and has released a number of singles, along with an EP in 2006. Alexa often joins her dad on stage, and those who have attended the famous singer’s residency at Madison Square Garden might have already seen the father-daughter duo perform together.
On Aug. 12, 2015, a month after they got married, Billy Joel and Alexis Roderick welcomed the musician’s second daughter, Della Rose, with his third (and the couple’s second), Remy Anne, following on Oct. 22, 2017. In a 2019 interview with Rolling Stone, Joel confessed to being mistaken for his daughter’s grandfather when he takes them to school but has said having young children in his 70s keeps him young.
“I take (them) to school and one of the other parents will go, ‘Oh, your granddaughter’s so cute.’ I still love being a dad. I didn’t know that I would be a father again at this age, but I’m glad I am. They keep you young.”
The New York native took his two younger daughters to the Grammys and to see Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concert in Tampa, Florida. He told People he “got very cool Dad points” for the latter. Like their mom, Della and Remy have also taken a liking to horses, appearing in equestrian uniform on their dad’s Instagram page.
The family seems to be a close-knit unit. Joel often posts about his girls on his social media and Alexa loves sharing tributes to her mom and dad. “You’ve gone above and beyond the highest stars and back to give me galaxies of everything, and then some. I remain eternally indebted to you both,” she wrote in a 2022 post.
