Alexa Ray Joel shared an update on her father Billy Joel’s health as the legendary singer battles a brain disorder.
Billy, 76, announced that he had been diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) – which affects his vision, hearing and balance – on social media in May.
The “Riverside Way” singer, who is the daughter of Billy and his ex-wife, supermodel Christie Brinkley, 71, told Fox News Digital that her father has been “incredibly resilient” in the face of his health struggles.
“Unfortunately, I didn’t get this characteristic from him because I like to express how I’m feeling always,” Alexa, 39, said. “He doesn’t whine, especially in his older age.”
She continued, “I don’t know, maybe he did more when he was younger, and he put that angst into his music for sure, but he just doesn’t complain.”
“He’s so cool about everything,” Alexa added. “He’s always playing everything down, ‘Oh, I’m fine. Don’t worry.’ He doesn’t want me to worry, and he’s just cool as a cat about everything. And I ask him, ‘I’m like, how are you feeling? Are you OK?’”
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.
“He’s doing his physical therapy three to five days a week, which is really, really important for him right now,” she said. “He’s adjusted his diet. We had dinner the other night. I said, ‘Dad, what are you doing? You’re not getting the steak? You’re getting chicken instead?’ Like, this is a whole new you here.”
“He’s suddenly eating eggplant and all sorts of vegetables. I said, ‘Dad, you used to hate eggplant. He’s like, ‘Oh, I’ve learned to love it,’” Alexa continued with a laugh.
“So I’m really proud of him and how he sort of adjusted his habits, and he’s really at probably his most healthy actually right now in terms of how well he’s taking care of himself and prioritizing his health,” she added. “Of course, as his eldest daughter, I’m always looking out for him and making sure he stays on the ball with that. So he’s doing great.”
When Billy first revealed his NPH diagnosis, the five-time Grammy Award winner said that the condition had been “exacerbated by recent concert performances, leading to problems with hearing, vision and balance.”
The statement at the time continued, “Under his doctor’s 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.”
Shortly after Billy announced his diagnosis, the “Piano Man” 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’s cognitive abilities.
“It’s funny because people were concerned about cognitive decline,” she said. “I don’t see any of that from him. I really, really don’t.”
“I was doing a segment for SiriusXM for his channel, the Billy Joel channel on Sirius a couple of weeks ago,” she said. “I 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, ‘Well, which album is this from? What year?’”
“He remembers every album, the exact year, the order in which the singles were ordered on the album,” she added. “So, as far as I’m concerned, he’s sharp as a tack. I said, ‘Oh my God, dad, I can’t believe you remember the year of every single song and what was going on and where you were living.”
“And I’m very thankful to have inherited this great memory because I’ve kind of got a memory like a steel vault. I don’t forget anything myself.”
Alexa also followed in her father’s 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 “Sketches” 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 “Riverside Way,” 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 “Riverside Way.”
“It is personal to me because it was my way of saying to the world and saying, as an artist, I’m not just one person,” she said. “I think there is a sort of societal penchant and interest in putting women in a box and pinpointing them as, ‘OK, she’s that type.’”
Alexa continued, “She’s good or she is bad or she’s sugar or she’s spice or she’s sweet or she’s a bitch. We have this interest in pigeonholing women a lot of times. Or even people do it [and] they don’t 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’s so easy to form judgments too quickly, I feel.”
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“And so ‘Riverside Way’ is personal for me because it’s my way of saying, ‘Hey, you know, just like most women and particularly artists, there’s not just one side to us,’” she added. “There is the side of me that’s very much the good daughter and loves to perhaps be a little more demure. But then there’s another side that’s…a bit wilder and more curious and more interested in exploring things. And I think with ‘Riverside Way,’ I wanted to show, it’s OK to get outside your comfort zone and take risks, both with storytelling, narrative wise and stylistically with this song.”
“I wanted this image of a girl that’s just having a fantasy with a guy and, you know, speeding down the highway in a truck at 200 miles per hour, and they’re not even sure where they’re going or where they’ll end up because they’re 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.”
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’s romance inspired Billy’s 1983 hit “Uptown Girl.”
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 “Lullaby (Goodnight, My Angel)” 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.
“They both love me so much, too. I mean that’s a huge part of it,” she said. “And 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.”
Billy and Brinkley’s marriage was featured in the new HBO documentary about the music icon’s life, “Billy Joel: And So it Goes.” 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’ life together was “truly touching and remarkable to see on camera.”
“I think just for people watching it in the documentary, the love was palpable,” she said. “And 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’s differences, too.”
“Mom smiling at the camera and dad pretending to say, ‘Oh, get away.’ They were always putting on skits and doing little schticks together. And having a lot of fun and just having a blast, I don’t think, you know, I’ve never seen either of them as playful since those times.”
“It was very emotional for me looking back, going, ‘Wow, they look so carefree,’” she added. “It’s 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.”
“And my dad was more like the Long Island hooligan, as he calls himself, but you know a genius with a chip on his shoulder,” Alexa said with a laugh. “So 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.”
“They’re both natural entertainers who are just perfect for showbiz in many ways. I know my dad acts like he’s 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.”
Alexa explained that she would always treasure her memories of growing up with Billy and Brinkley while they were together.
“We had musicals around the house,” she recalled. “It was a very, very joyful childhood. And I think they respect and cherish those memories and those years. And it’s sad that it didn’t work out, but those memories live on forever.”
“I mean, my father sings about it in the ‘Lullaby,’” Alexa said, quoting Billy’s lyric, “Will always be a part of me.”
“It’s still a part of you, and it’s beautiful to see how those memories live on in the documentary,” she added.
Alexa also reflected on how her parents’ experiences had impacted her views on marriage and relationships.
“I think I don’t have as much of a particularly romanticized or idealized view of marriage, even though I think it’s a beautiful thing and I would love to be married,” she said.
“I have seen eight divorces growing up, and I’ve seen the highs and the lows and the in-betweens,” she continued. “The good, the bad, and the ugly. So I have a very, what’s the word? Discerning view.”
“And I’m 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.”
