Christie Brinkley shares support for Billy Joel following his recent diagnosis
The iconic singer announced he had recently been diagnosed with a rare brain condition.
WASHINGTON — Christie Brinkley shared a heartfelt message of support for her ex-husband Billy Joel following his recent diagnosis.
The supermodel, who was married to Joel for 9 years, posted a video on social media Saturday, expressing her support for the singer.
Brinkley’s message came a day after Joel revealed that he was diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus, a rare neurological disorder.
In the video, Brinkley and her daughter Sailor Brinkley Cook are seen singing and dancing along at Joel’s concert. One clip even shows as the supermodel’s daughter serenades the “Uptown Girl” singer.
“Dear Billy ,The whole Brinkley gang is sending you lots of love and good wishes for a full and speedy recovery. I was looking for some cute photos of you and Alexa to send you, when I came across this clip from a recent concert,” Brinkley said in her caption.” It made me laugh ..but it also reminded me of all the joy you create, and all the sensational sing a longs you’ve lead… you turn an arena of strangers into a living room full of friends as we all sway in unison,”
“I’m sure I’m speaking for everyone in that room when I say please take good care of yourself, we all want you back in that white hot spotlight, you’re OUR piano man
And we’re always in the mood for your melodies And we all hope you’re feeling alright!” Brinkley continued. “We Love You, the kids, me and a whole bunch of full arenas!”
Brinkley and Joel were married from 1985 to 1994. The couple share a daughter named Alexa Ray Joel, who also publicly shared her well wishes for her musician father.
” We love you and we got you, Pop! I just wanted to thank you all for the beautiful outpouring of love and support amid the recent news of My Father’s health diagnosis. My Dad is the strongest and most resilient man I’ve ever known… and he’s entirely committed to making a full recovery with ongoing physical-therapy treatments as he continues to regain his strength.,” Alexa Ray shared on social media. “The genuine care, empathy, and concern from everyone means so much to him… it means a lot to me, too.”
Joel canceled all his upcoming concerts amid the news of his diagnosis.
“I’m sincerely sorry to disappoint our audience, and thank you for understanding,” Joel said in a statement.
According to Joel’s post, his condition has been worsened by recent concert performances, leading to issues with hearing, vision and balance. Under doctors’ orders, he’s undergoing physical therapy and has been told to stop performing during this recovery period.
What is Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH)?
According 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 the age of 65.
The Cleveland Clinic noted the symptoms look very similar to dementia, but NPH is often treatable and sometimes even reversible.
While more than 700,000 Americans have NPH, less than 20% are properly diagnosed, according to Yale Medicine.
Andrew Weil contributed to this report.