In the new HBO documentary Billy Joel: And So It Goes, Billy Joel talks about a difficult period in his life, including a time when his marriage and his health clashed.
The iconic singer-songwriter says that his then-wife Katie Lee gave him an emotional ultimatum, which led him to decide to check himself into a treatment facility in 2005.
Joel, who is now 76, remembers her saying, “This isn’t going to work, unless you do something about your drinking.” The relationship wasn’t going well at the time.
Joel acknowledges that it wasn’t something he really wanted, but in the end, he consented to go to the Betty Ford Center for assistance. You don’t pursue another person. In the movie, he states, “You have to go for yourself.” I had no desire to do it.
Lee and the Piano Man got married in 2004. Joel had stopped touring at that point and was living mostly out of the spotlight. However, Lee, now 43, claims she lacked the resources to deal with his alcoholism and anxiety behind the scenes.
In the documentary, she states, “I felt like he needed to be creating again, performing, writing to ease that anxiety.” Additionally, I had never before dealt with addiction concerns. Navigating it was really challenging.
Lee says Joel’s return home was tense, even though she thought rehab may help. She explains that it was a delicate period. I believe there was some animosity. It was difficult to bounce back from that in many respects.
In the end, the couple got divorced in 2009. Joel married Alexis Roderick in 2015, and Lee later married producer Ryan Biegel in 2018. He is currently the father of three daughters: Remy, 7, Della, 9, and Alexa Ray, 39 (with ex-wife Christie Brinkley).
Joel also considers how his relationship with alcohol evolved over time in the documentary. In 2023, he told the Los Angeles Times that he had completely given up drinking.
Joel revealed, “I stopped a couple of years ago.” It wasn’t a significant AA incident. I simply reached my breaking point. Drinking no longer made me feel good and caused more issues than I needed. Right now, I don’t need it.
Joel claims that even though he was first hesitant to take part in the documentary, the experience turned out to be very eye-opening.
He recently told a cover tale, “I didn’t know I’d end up learning so much about myself.” However, I did.
Joel says he’s enjoying this stage of his life as a husband and parent now that his lengthy Madison Square Garden residency is over. “I’m having a great time right now,” he said.
Dennis Arfa, his longtime agent, concurs: I have witnessed Billy encounter hardship, but I have also witnessed him achieve serenity. I’m pleased for him and eager to see what comes next.
