The 'Piano Man' hitmaker shares stories of his life in a new book called 'Billy Joel: The Definitive Biography' which is out on Tuesday, October 28.
- Oct 27, 2014
AceShowbiz - Billy Joel shares details about rocky marriages and suicide attempts in a new book. Set to release on Tuesday, October 28, "Billy Joel: The Definitive Biography" tells the story of the "Piano Man" hitmaker when he tried to kill himself following an affair with a friend's wife whom later he married.
Back in the 1970s, Joel was interested in having a relationship with Elizabeth Weber who was married to his friend Jon Small. Small knew of their affair and Weber subsequently dumped both men. Joel could not handle the split. He took Nembutal and called Small to apologize. Small found him on the floor and brought him to hospital.
"The next thing I remember, I woke up in the hospital and learned that they had pumped my stomach. I thought to myself, 'Oh, great, I couldn't even do this right.' It was another failure," Joel told author Fred Schruers, as reported by Page Six. He next attempted to commit suicide by drinking furniture polish, but he was found by a relative.
Joel subsequently checked himself into a mental hospital. "The people I was locked up with were never going to be able to overcome their problems, whereas mine were all self-made," he realized. "I can fix this, I thought." Joel eventually was back on the right track. The "New York State of Mind" hitmaker married Weber in 1973, but they separated in 1982.
The book also features stories of his relationships with Elle MacPherson and Christie Brinkley. He married the latter and they have a daughter Alexa Ray Joel. After they separated in 1994, he married Katie Lee in 2004 only to end their marriage in 2009.
