Billy Joel’s Daughter Shares Replace Amid Singer’s Critical Well being Battle
Billy Joel’s daughter Alexa Ray Joel is offering fans a reassuring update as the music legend continues his recovery from a rare brain disorder that sidelined his touring plans.
Alexa Ray, 40, said her father, 76, has been staying focused and “doing great” months after the Piano Man singer revealed he was diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus, or NPH, and canceled his concerts last May.
Before stepping into Carnegie Hall on Thursday for The Music of Billy Joel tribute event, she told The Hollywood Reporter that Joel has been putting in the work behind the scenes.
“He’s doing physical therapy regularly and he’s doing great. He’s lost weight as he’s on his diet,” she said.
“I’m so proud of him. He’s such a trooper, so resilient and committed to being healthy and proactive. He’s a fighter. He’s always been a fighter and talks in his documentary about how life’s like a fight.”
The Carnegie Hall tribute carried extra meaning for the family, with Alexa Ray describing it as a full-circle moment tied to her father’s early days in the city.
“He was so excited when he first played Carnegie Hall in the ‘70s, so it’s exciting for him to come back decades later and see amazing artists and his daughter pay tribute to him,” she said. “It’s a full-circle moment.”
She also made it clear she wasn’t taking no for an answer when it came to his attendance.
“I said, ‘Dad, you better be there! This is Carnegie Hall. Everyone’s paying tribute to you, and it’s an amazing group of artists.’”
“He was like, ‘Let me mark that down.’ He’s very organized with his little calendar.”
Joel arrived in a black suit and tie, while Alexa Ray took the stage in a strapless black fringe dress with white gloves. The sold-out Carnegie Hall celebration spotlighted his catalog during Michael Dorf Presents: The 21st Annual Music Of tribute concert. Across two sold-out shows, the event drew more than 3,500 attendees and raised over $225,000 for music education programs, billed as the largest total in the series’ history.
Joel previously addressed public concern about his health last summer, saying he was managing the diagnosis and staying focused on recovery.
“I know a lot of people are worried about me and my health, but I’m OK,” he told People at the time. “What I have is something very few people know about, including me, no matter how much you try to research it.”
“I’m doing my best to work with it and to recover from it,” he added.
“It was scary, but I’m OK,” he said. “I just wanted to let people know, don’t worry about me being deathly ill or anything.”
Joel is the father of three. He shares eldest daughter Alexa Ray with ex-wife Christie Brinkley, and has two younger daughters, Della Rose and Remy Anne, with wife Alexis Roderick.
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