Billy Joel’s first wife, Elizabeth Weber, is not regularly in touch with the Piano Man.
“[We’re] friendly but not close,” she exclusively told Page Six Wednesday night at the Tribeca Festival premiere of the “Billy Joel: And So It Goes” documentary.
“I mean, we got divorced for a reason. And, you know, I’ve been married a few times, too. And if I were close to all my exes, I wouldn’t be here tonight!”
The pianist has been married three other times — to Christie Brinkley (1985 to 1994), Katie Lee (2004 to 2009) and now with his current wife, Alexis Roderick, whom he said “I do” to in 2015.
Joel was notably absent from the splashy premiere, after recently revealing that he has been diagnosed with a rare brain disorder called normal pressure hydrocephalus.
The Grammy winner, 76, met Weber through his bandmate Jon Small. At the time, Weber and Small were married and Joel was living in their home, per People.
Joel recalled living with the couple and falling “in love” with Weber, who shared a son with Small, in the tell-all documentary.
When the affair came to light, “The Stranger” singer remembered feeling wrecked with guilt and twice attempted to end his life.
However, Joel later reconnected with Weber and the two were married from 1973 to 1982. She also worked as his manager.
On the red carpet for the new doc, Weber shrugged off the bad press she has received over the years.
“Well, you know, rock ‘n’ roll isn’t really good to women and the music business traditionally hasn’t been good to women,” she noted. “But I have my life, I do what I do and I can’t really be concerned about [anything else].”
Joel famously wrote the 1977 ballad “Just the Way You Are” for Weber — but rarely performed it after their divorce.
He later revealed that during performances of the song, post-divorce, his drummer, Liberty DeVitto, would jokingly parody the lyrics in the chorus as, “She got the house, she got the car.”
Weber told Page Six she isn’t bothered by Joel’s revelation, however.
“I don’t live in the public eye. I know what it’s like to kind of chum the waters and say things,” she said, noting that Joel wrote that song for her as “a birthday gift.”
“So many people have covered it, and it’s a beautiful song. I mean, it surprised me as much as anyone that it became the monster [hit] that it is. But I’m proud of it. I’m happy.”
“Billy Joel: And So It Goes” will stream on HBO Max later this summer.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or text Crisis Text Line at 741741.
Read the full article here
