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The piano man is also the family man!
Billy Joel has had a decades-long career as a world-famous rock star, and a personal life filled with both joys and heartache. But now, with the most difficult parts of his past in the rearview, he’s just happy being Dad.
“I’m really enjoying this time in my life,” Joel, whose life story is being told in the new HBO documentary Billy Joel: And So It Goes, tells PEOPLE in this week’s cover story.
The “Big Shot” singer, 76, is dad to daughters Della, 9, and Remy, 7, with wife Alexis, as well as daughter Alexa Ray, 39, with ex-wife Christie Brinkley.
All three of his girls are musically inclined; Alexa has performed with Joel numerous times and has been teasing the release of her latest single, “Riverside Way,” on Instagram. Della and Remy, meanwhile, joined Joel on stage during the final show of his historic Madison Square Garden residency in July 2024, with Della even grabbing the mic during “My Life.”
“Poor things, they inherited the curse [of music],” Joel jokes. “Sometimes it’s a blessing [being musically inclined]. Sometimes it can be a burden. I inherited it from my parents. My father was very musical, so was my mom. There’s a responsibility to it too.”
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As seen in the documentary, Joel overcame a number of obstacles to achieve the peace he’s found with Alexis, whom he married in 2015, and his girls.
“I am so happy for him. These two little kids are just the most amazing,” Steve Cohen, the star’s longtime friend and lighting designer, tells PEOPLE. “My husband and I are their uncles, so we’ve watched these kids grow up, and I see the joy in his life and this contentment.”
Cohen says it’s been special watching Joel soak in all the moments he can with his daughters, who “don’t know anything else” other than his life on stage.
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Courtesy Alexis Joel
“They think it’s normal that Daddy sings for 18,000 people,” Cohen says. “It’s really fun to watch, and it’s fun to watch him enjoy all of that stuff. I said to him the other day, ‘We should go on a boys’ trip.’ He says, ‘I got to get sick of being with my kids for a while.’ He doesn’t want to be anywhere else.”
Cohen also praises Joel’s wife, who has stood by his side as he recovers from a recent diagnosis of normal pressure hydrocephalus. (Joel says he’s “OK” despite the treatable brain condition).
“Alexis has been great,” he says. “Going through what he’s going through, getting better from the illnesses and all of that—he’s in a good spot and he’s doing well.”
Dennis Arfa, the star’s longtime booking agent, tells PEOPLE he’s “so happy” to see Joel “raising his children and being so in love with them and Alexis and his family.”
“It’s quite rewarding,” Arfa says. “I’m always rooting for Billy’s happiness and his success. I’ve seen Billy have a lot of happy times through his life, [but] he’s had to deal with certain adversity. I’m happy for him in this chapter, and I’m looking forward to the next chapter with him.”
Joel’s family celebrated him on Father’s Day this year with a sweet message shared to Instagram.
“We are so blessed to have such a strong, determined man in our lives,” the post read. “You are a wonderful support for us and we only hope we can be the same for you. We love you and know you will be rocking out next year.”
Alexa, meanwhile, celebrated both her dad and the release of And So It Goes with a heartfelt Instagram post last week.
“This is a fearlessly raw, reeling, and shockingly intimate portrait of My Father,” she wrote. “Congrats To My One-Of-A-Kind Father on a masterpiece in true storytelling… I know you’re not all that impressed or intrigued with yourself, but the rest of us certainly are.”
For more on Billy Joel, pick up this week’s issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands everywhere Friday.
