Alexa Ray Joel sends message of love, hope to her father Billy Joel after health diagnosis
Alexa Ray Joel joins her father, Billy Joel, onstage for a duet at Madison Square Garden in December 2018. Credit: Getty Images / Myrna M. Suarez
Alexa Ray Joel, the daughter of Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley, posted a message on Instagram on Saturday thanking people for "the beautiful outpouring of love and support" following her father’s announcement that he’d been diagnosed with a rare brain condition.
"We love you and we got you, Pop!," she wrote of her famous father, the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and Grammy-winning singer-songwriter.
The post was accompanied by a black and white sketch of a man and small girl holding hands.
Billy Joel, 76, announced on social media Friday he had been diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus, as Newsday reported — a condition in which fluid builds up in the brain and causes difficulties with balance, hearing and vision. Joel had surgery in March and has canceled his upcoming tour to concentrate on his recovery and physical therapy, Joel's statement on social media said.
Alexa Ray Joel, who is also a singer and songwriter, wrote in her post, "My Dad is the strongest and most resilient man I’ve ever known," and that he was working in physical therapy "to regain his strength."
She wrote, "The genuine care, empathy, and concern from everyone means so much to him ... it means a lot to me, too."
Brinkley posted an Instagram message to her ex-husband as well, including a concert montage that Brinkley said "reminded me of all the joy you create."
She ended her post saying, "We’re always in the mood for your melodies And we all hope you’re feeling alright!"
Fans had grown concerned about the Hicksville-raised rock icon since February, when he appeared to lose his balance and fell to the floor during a concert at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut.
In March, Joel, whose birthday would follow on May 9, canceled eight concerts to recover from surgery, but hoped to be back to performing in four months. His next live date was to be July 5 with Stewart at Pittsburgh’s Acrisure Stadium. Joel also had planned three metropolitan-area concerts in July at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, and in August at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and Citi Field in Queens. Joel was sharing those bills with Stewart, Stevie Nicks and Sting, respectively. That trifecta would have made Joel the first entertainer to play all three stadiums in one season.
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