Billy Joel, 76, announced that he had been diagnosed with\u00a0normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) \u2013 which affects his vision, hearing and balance \u2013 on social media in May.<\/b>
\nAlexa Ray Joel shared an update on her father Billy Joel\u2019s health as the legendary singer battles a brain disorder.
Billy, 76, announced that he had been diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus which affects his vision, hearing and balance \u2013 on social media in May.
The \u201cRiverside Way\u201d singer, who is the daughter of Billy and his ex-wife, supermodel Christie Brinkley, 71, told Fox News Digital that her father has been \u201cincredibly resilient\u201d in the face of his health struggles.
\u201cUnfortunately, I didn\u2019t get this characteristic from him because I like to express how I\u2019m feeling always,\u201d Alexa, 39, said. \u201cHe doesn\u2019t whine, especially in his older age.\u201d
She continued, \u201cI don\u2019t know, maybe he did more when he was younger, and he put that angst into his music for sure, but he just doesn\u2019t complain.\u201d
\u201cHe\u2019s so cool about everything,\u201d Alexa added. \u201cHe\u2019s always playing everything down, \u2018Oh, I\u2019m fine. Don\u2019t worry.\u2019 He doesn\u2019t want me to worry, and he\u2019s just cool as a cat about everything. And I ask him, \u2018I\u2019m like, how are you feeling? Are you OK?’\u201d
Alexa, who just released her new single, explained that Billy is fully committed to his health and described how he has made some major lifestyle changes.
\u201cHe\u2019s doing his physical therapy three to five days a week, which is really, really important for him right now,\u201d she said. \u201cHe\u2019s adjusted his diet. We had dinner the other night. I said, \u2018Dad, what are you doing? You\u2019re not getting the steak? You\u2019re getting chicken instead?\u2019 Like, this is a whole new you here.\u201d
\u201cHe\u2019s suddenly eating eggplant and all sorts of vegetables. I said, \u2018Dad, you used to hate eggplant. He\u2019s like, \u2018Oh, I\u2019ve learned to love it‘,\u201d Alexa continued with a laugh.
\u201cSo I\u2019m really proud of him and how he sort of adjusted his habits, and he\u2019s really at probably his most healthy actually right now in terms of how well he\u2019s taking care of himself and prioritizing his health,\u201d she added. \u201cOf course, as his eldest daughter, I\u2019m always looking out for him and making sure he stays on the ball with that. So he\u2019s doing great.\u201d
When Billy first revealed his NPH diagnosis, the five-time Grammy Award winner said that the condition had been \u201cexacerbated by recent concert performances, leading to problems with hearing, vision and balance.\u201d
The statement at the time continued, \u201cUnder his doctor\u2019s instructions, Billy is undergoing specific physical therapy and has been advised to refrain from performing during this recovery period. Billy is thankful for the excellent care he is receiving and is fully committed to prioritizing his health.\u201d
Shortly after Billy announced his diagnosis, the \u201cPiano Man\u201d singer canceled all of his tour dates for 2025 and through July 2026.
NPH is a condition that happens when cerebrospinal fluid builds up inside the skull and presses on the brain. This condition is most likely to occur in people over age 65. Treating this condition involves surgery to implant a shunt to drain excess fluid from the inside of the skull, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Common symptoms of NPH include difficulty walking, urinary incontinence and problems with concentration and memory.
However, Alexa told Fox News Digital that she had not noticed any change in Billy\u2019s cognitive abilities.
\u201cIt\u2019s funny because people were concerned about cognitive decline,\u201d she said. \u201cI don\u2019t see any of that from him. I really, really don\u2019t.\u201d
\u201cI was doing a segment for SiriusXM for his channel, the Billy Joel channel on Sirius a couple of weeks ago,\u201d she said. \u201cI do a playlist of his songs. I do analysis on it with the backstories. So I interview him. I go straight to the source, my dad, and I ask him about all the material. And I was asking him, single by single, I said, \u2018Well, which album is this from? What year?\u2019\u201d
\u201cHe remembers every album, the exact year, the order in which the singles were ordered on the album,\u201d she added. \u201cSo, as far as I\u2019m concerned, he\u2019s sharp as a tack. I said, \u2018Oh my God, dad, I can\u2019t believe you remember the year of every single song and what was going on and where you were living.\u201d
\u201cAnd I\u2019m very thankful to have inherited this great memory because I\u2019ve kind of got a memory like a steel vault. I don\u2019t forget anything myself.\u201d
Alexa also followed in her father\u2019s footsteps and embarked on a career in the music industry. She first began composing songs at the age of 15 and debuted her six-song EP \u201cSketches\u201d in August 2006.
The singer-songwriter has also released a number of singles over the years, and she has previously performed with her father at charitable benefits and political fundraisers. In 2024, Alexa sang alongside her father in the final year of his Madison Square Garden residency.
Alexa recently released her new song \u201cRiverside Way,\u201d which is the first single from her upcoming five-song EP.
While speaking with Fox News Digital, Alexa explained how she is taking her music and lyrics in a bold new direction with \u201cRiverside Way.\u201d
\u201cIt is personal to me because it was my way of saying to the world and saying, as an artist, I\u2019m not just one person,\u201d she said. \u201cI think there is a sort of societal penchant and interest in putting women in a box and pinpointing them as, \u2018OK, she\u2019s that type.’\u201d
Alexa continued, \u201cShe\u2019s good or she is bad or she\u2019s sugar or she\u2019s spice or she\u2019s sweet or she\u2019s a bitch. We have this interest in pigeonholing women a lot of times. Or even people do it [and] they don\u2019t even realize, right? You just form quick judgments based on a picture or based on an interview clip, now with sound bites on social media. It\u2019s so easy to form judgments too quickly, I feel.\u201d
\u201cAnd so \u2018Riverside Way\u2019 is personal for me because it\u2019s my way of saying, \u2018Hey, you know, just like most women and particularly artists, there\u2019s not just one side to us‘,\u201d she added. \u201cThere is the side of me that\u2019s very much the good daughter and loves to perhaps be a little more demure. But then there\u2019s another side that\u2019s\u2026a bit wilder and more curious and more interested in exploring things. And I think with \u2018Riverside Way,\u2019 I wanted to show, it\u2019s OK to get outside your comfort zone and take risks, both with storytelling, narrative wise and stylistically with this song.\u201d
\u201cI wanted this image of a girl that\u2019s just having a fantasy with a guy and, you know, speeding down the highway in a truck at 200 miles per hour, and they\u2019re not even sure where they\u2019re going or where they\u2019ll end up because they\u2019re so immersed in the moment. And so I wanted that escapism to be very vivid. And I am an escapist at heart. I love painting a very vivid picture in my mind. That I can just sort of climb into and crawl into. I get a real thrill from that as an artist.\u201d
Alexa is the only child shared by Billy and Brinkley, who first met in 1983 while they were both vacationing in St. Barts. They began dating shortly after and the former couple\u2019s romance inspired Billy\u2019s 1983 hit \u201cUptown Girl.\u201d
Billy and Brinkley married in March 1985 and welcomed Alexa in December of that year. Billy has previously shared that he wrote his 1993 song \u201cLullaby (Goodnight, My Angel)\u201d about his firstborn daughter.
However, Billy and Brinkley separated in April 1994 and finalized their divorce that August.
Despite their divorce, Brinkley and Billy remained close. While speaking with Fox News Digital, Alexa reflected on how her parents have maintained a warm and lasting friendship over the years.
\u201cThey both love me so much, too. I mean that\u2019s a huge part of it,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd there was a ton of love between them. Dare I say that I think a piece of that is still there. I mean they had a beautiful, beautiful love.\u201d
Billy and Brinkley\u2019s marriage was featured in the new HBO documentary about the music icon\u2019s life, \u201cBilly Joel: And So it Goes.\u201d Alexa participated in a four-hour sit-down interview for the two-part documentary and also appeared in archival footage, much of which was provided by Brinkley.
During her interview with Fox News Digital, Alexa shared that watching moments from her parents\u2019 life together was \u201ctruly touching and remarkable to see on camera.\u201d
\u201cI think just for people watching it in the documentary, the love was palpable,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd it was a lot of joy. I even thought it was the most uplifting part of the documentary, quite frankly, because they played off each other\u2019s differences, too.\u201d
\u201cMom smiling at the camera and dad pretending to say, \u2018Oh, get away.\u2019 They were always putting on skits and doing little schticks together. And having a lot of fun and just having a blast, I don\u2019t think, you know, I\u2019ve never seen either of them as playful since those times.\u201d
\u201cIt was very emotional for me looking back, going, \u2018Wow, they look so carefree,\u2019\u201d she added. \u201cIt\u2019s just so beautiful to see that. And I think they really opened each other up in that way. You know mom being the California girl who was just so full of life and so vivacious and so full of joy and radiance.\u201d
\u201cAnd my dad was more like the Long Island hooligan, as he calls himself, but you know a genius with a chip on his shoulder,\u201d Alexa said with a laugh. \u201cSo they kind of complimented each other in that way and their differences. And yet they had a lot in common that they both loved music and creativity and singing and dancing and putting on a show.\u201d
\u201cThey\u2019re both natural entertainers who are just perfect for showbiz in many ways. I know my dad acts like he\u2019s not, but he really is, at the end of the day, a genius at what he does. And they were able to find that connection, and then I was able to share that with them.\u201d
Alexa explained that she would always treasure her memories of growing up with Billy and Brinkley while they were together.
\u201cWe had musicals around the house,\u201d she recalled. \u201cIt was a very, very joyful childhood. And I think they respect and cherish those memories and those years. And it\u2019s sad that it didn\u2019t work out, but those memories live on forever.\u201d
\u201cI mean, my father sings about it in the \u2018Lullaby‘,\u201d Alexa said, quoting Billy\u2019s lyric, \u201cWill always be a part of me.\u201d
\u201cIt\u2019s still a part of you, and it\u2019s beautiful to see how those memories live on in the documentary,\u201d she added.
Alexa also reflected on how her parents\u2019 experiences had impacted her views on marriage and relationships.
\u201cI think I don\u2019t have as much of a particularly romanticized or idealized view of marriage, even though I think it\u2019s a beautiful thing and I would love to be married,\u201d she said.
\u201cI have seen eight divorces growing up, and I\u2019ve seen the highs and the lows and the in-betweens,\u201d she continued. \u201cThe good, the bad, and the ugly. So I have a very, what\u2019s the word? Discerning view.\u201d
\u201cAnd I\u2019m glad. I tell my parents, I feel lucky to have been able to have learned from seeing what they went through and learning those lessons through seeing the mistakes.\u201d<\/p>\n