Celebrity Mound

Billy Joel’s third marriage is breaking up, but he says it’s not because his wife has been stepping out with a dashing designer.
The Piano Man and wife Katie Lee confirmed the split to the Daily News in a joint statement: “After nearly five years of marriage, Billy and Katie have decided to separate.

“This decision is the result of much thought and consideration. Billy and Katie remain caring friends, with admiration and respect for each other.”

Rumors have swirled for months that the marriage was on the rocks, with reports linking Lee, a 27-year-old chef and author, to Yigal Azrouel, a handsome 36-year-old Israeli-born fashion designer.

Sources reported seeing them dirty-dancing in Miami in January and have claimed that Azrouel referred to Lee as “my girlfriend.”

Reps for the Joels insisted that Azrouel is just a friend and that Billy, 60, was happy to skip the parties, fashion shows and fund-raisers that his younger wife enjoyed.

“Their decision to separate was absolutely unrelated to Yigal,” said Joel’s spokeswoman Claire Mercuri.

“It was really the age difference that caught up with them,” said a friend of the couple. “They grew apart. She is very career-oriented. She loves going out. She loves the city. When Billy isn’t touring, he’d rather be on Long Island with his motorcycles and boats.”

Various friends hinted at infidelity on both sides, though a longtime pal of Joel insisted “he’s always remained faithful to Katie. When he was touring with Elton John, he flew home almost every night.”

In recent weeks, Joel has been living on Long Island, where he owns mansions in Sag Harbor and Sagaponack. Lee is said to have stayed at the couple’s Greenwich Village townhouse, not far from Azrouel’s boutique.

Lee, who grew up in West Virginia, met Joel at a New York party in 2003 and they married a year later. His daughter Alexa Ray Joel, just four years younger than Katie, was maid of honor.

Joel’s nine-year marriage to model Christie Brinkley, the mother of Alexa, ended in 1994. His nine-year marriage to Elizabeth Weber went bust in 1982.

For his latest marriage, he’s believed to have a prenuptial agreement to protect the millions his many hits have made him.
Lee’s rep, Ken Sunshine, declined to comment beyond the couple’s statement.

“Billy’s doing fine,” Mercuri said. “He’s looking forward to resuming his Face 2 Face tour with Elton John.”

(source)

Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel raised about $7 million for Barack Obama’s campaign and delivered a concert that’s already entered into rock legend. Along the way, the Boss and the Piano Man also had a few laughs.

Hanging out in his dressing room before taking the stage at Thursday’s Democratic fund-raiser at the Hammerstein Ballroom, Joel told us he was wary when New Jersey’s first son suggested they perform Joel’s “New York State of Mind” together.

“I said to Bruce, ‘How are you going to sing this song? You’re going to throw in the Pulaski Skyway, aren’t you? Change it to ‘A Garden State of Mind,’” recalled Joel.

But in the end, Springsteen told us afterward, “I decided to stick to the script. We sang it like Billy wrote it.”

Joel said that they thought about performing Joel’s Iraq song, “Christmas in Fallujah.” But they worried about controversy blowing back at the candidate.
“There are some hard words in it,” he pointed out. “That line about, ‘We came with the Crusaders to save the Holy Land.’”

So they stuck to their hits. “Glory Days,” “Thunder Road” and “Born to Run” by Bruce. And Billy’s “Allentown,” “Movin’ Out” and others.

Joel admitted he weighed the decision about publicly backing Obama. “I’m popping my cherry with this endorsement,” he told us.

Springsteen told the crowd that “for a long time, I never saw myself as part of any political party. [Now] many Americans have seen the value of their homes and their retirement funds plummet.

“I believe Sen. Obama understands these issues and that he’s taken a measure of that distance in his life and work.”
When Obama took the stage, he confessed that he had told his wife, Michelle, “The reason I’m running for President is that I cannot be Bruce Springsteen or Billy Joel.”

P.S.: The concert, orchestrated by Harvey Weinstein, John Sykes and Anna Wintour, was recorded. Word is Obama will have a screening as a reward for his campaign staff.

(source)

Billy Joel and wife Katie Lee Joel

Billy Joel Special Appearance At Steinway Pianos