Billy Joel's wife, Alexis Roderick Joel, entering 'more public' phase of her life, supporting education, health causes
Fans of rock icon Billy Joel might be hearing more from his wife, Alexis Roderick Joel, who says she’s entering a new, more public phase of life.
“When Bill and I met, I was working and he was not,” says Roderick Joel, a former risk manager at Morgan Stanley and one of a select few who call her famous husband “Bill.” Their roles reversed as he relaunched his performing career and the couple began raising two daughters, Della Rose, 9, and Remy Anne, 7. “The kids are in school full time, I don't see them till 4 or 5 o'clock after I drop them off in the morning,” Roderick Joel, 43, says. “I have a little bit more time for the things I love.”
A Northport High School graduate raised in Centerport, Roderick Joel now lives with her family in Florida, but next week she’ll return to Long Island to promote two causes close to her heart. On April 30, she will accept an award on behalf of the Joel Foundation from Nassau BOCES, the long-running education organization. And on May 1, she’ll be at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory to announce the launch of its new clinic for the study of endometriosis, a disease Roderick Joel herself struggled with for years.
“I'm starting now to kind of get back out, do events,” she says.
The Joel Foundation’s partnership with Nassau BOCES dates back to 2015, when it donated $1.5 million to Syosset’s Long Island High School for the Arts — a BOCES school — after reading in Newsday that it was in danger of closing. The foundation pledged an additional $1.5 million in 2022. Roderick Joel will accept a Nassau BOCES Education Partner Award at a ceremony at Woodbury’s Crest Hollow Country Club.
“We feel so fortunate that the Joels have been such collaborative partners,” Larry J. Leaven, Nassau BOCES district superintendent and chief executive, said in an emailed statement. “It's powerful that Billy & Alexis Joel, through their Foundation, are giving back to Long Island in such a thoughtful and meaningful way.”
The next day, Roderick Joel will announce the new Seckin Endometriosis Research Center for Women’s Health. It’s named for Dr. Tamer Seckin, who specializes in the often-painful disease — it causes tissue like that inside the uterus to grow outside it — and who became Roderick Joel’s surgeon after she suffered through many misdiagnoses.
“I am such a health advocate,” Roderick Joel says, adding that she encourages women to trust their instincts while speaking with doctors. “If it doesn't sound right, and you don't feel right, just keep going,” she says.
Endometriosis is a “highly genetic” disease, but pinpointing a specific gene for it is difficult, according to Seckin. “It is probably the most misdiagnosed, mismanaged and mistreated disease in women right now,” he says.
As for the health of her husband, who recently canceled several shows on his current tour following an unspecified surgery, Roderick Joel says he’s “doing well.”
She recalls warning the singer recently: “You know, health waits for no man!” She adds: “Unfortunately, Bill’s not 40, Bill’s in his 70s, and he's got to take care of himself. It's important for longevity. So, we're dealing with it. But he's doing well.”
Most Popular
Top Stories
