Billy Joel has a strong support system — one that includes his family as well as several of his exes.
Back in May, the "Just The Way You Are" singer cancelled all his forthcoming concerts after he was diagnosed with a brain condition called normal pressure hydrocephalus.
He shared in a statement at the time: "This condition has been exacerbated by recent concert performances, leading to problems with hearing, vision, and balance. Under his doctor's instructions, Billy is undergoing specific physical therapy and has been advised to refrain from performing during this recovery period."
© Getty ImagesAlready, he has received public support from his ex-wife and good friend Christie Brinkley, and now another ex-wife, Elizabeth Weber, to whom he was married from 1973 to 1982, is speaking out.
Speaking with Us Weekly about where her relationship with Billy stands today 40 years after their divorce, she shared: "If I wanna talk to him or if I have something to say, I am able to contact him whenever I want to."
However, she added: "But he has a wife and he has children and right now, he's struggling with something that's… that’s a big thing."
© Ron Galella Collection via GettyAccording to the Cleveland Clinic, normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) is a condition that happens when cerebrospinal fluid builds up inside your skull and presses on your brain. The condition is most likely in people over 65, and it's often treatable and sometimes even reversible. Treating it involves surgery to implant a shunt to drain excess fluid from the inside of your skull."
"So, [our relationship] is as close as it needs to be for two people who decided to divorce 40 years ago," Elizabeth added, though she shared that "of course" she reached out to her ex-husband in the wake of his health diagnosis.
© Ron Galella Collection via GettyBilly first met Elizabeth in the late 1960s, while she was married to his best friend and former The Hassles bandmate, Jon Small.
Their subsequent affair led to both the break-up of the band and a depressive episode for Billy, who has spoken candidly about the period and his two suicide attempts.
© InstagramThe former couple eventually reconnected and wed in 1973, though ultimately divorced almost ten years later.
Billy was subsequently married to Christie, with whom he shares daughter Alexa Ray Joel, 39, from 1985 to 1994, to Food Network star Katie Lee Biegel from 2004 to 2009, and since 2015, he has been married to Alexis Roderick, with whom he shares daughters Della Rose Joel, ten, and Remy Anne Joel, seven.
