Who is Alexa Ray Joel? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Age: 38 Years, 38 Year Old Males

Family:

father: Billy Joel

mother: Christie Brinkley

siblings: Jack Paris Brinkley Cook, Sailor Lee Brinkley-Cook

Born Country: United States

Musicians Pop Singers

Height: 5'2" (157 cm), 5'2" Males

Ancestry: German American, British American

Notable Alumni: Tisch School Of The Arts

U.S. State: New Yorkers

More Facts

education: Tisch School Of The Arts

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Childhood & Early Life

Born on December 29, 1985, in Manhattan, New York, USA, Alexa Ray Joel is the only child of Billy Joel and his second wife, Christie Brinkley. She has two paternal half-sisters, Della Rose and Remy Anne, from her father’s marriage to his fourth and current wife, equestrian and former Morgan Stanley executive Alexis Roderick.

She also has two maternal half-siblings. Billy Joel was Brinkley’s second husband. She has a son, named Jack Paris Brinkley Taubman, with her third husband, real estate developer Richard Taubman. With her fourth husband, architect Peter Halsey Cook, she has a daughter named Sailor Lee Brinkley Cook.

Joel got her middle name from singer and musician Ray Charles, who had collaborated with her father on the song ‘Baby Grand’. Since she was a child, she has demonstrated her interest in the professions of both of her parents, music and fashion.

Joel is also a talented pianist and has received considerable recognition for her melodic song-writing. She has spoken candidly about her desire to move out of the shadows of her “two megastar parents”.

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Career

In 2005, Alexa Ray Joel put together a band and delivered her first live show at Maxwell's in Hoboken, New Jersey. She quickly gained significant popularity within a year. In 2006, she reportedly performed at about 100 shows, including a Hard Rock Cafe tour that ended in May 2006.

In August 2006, Joel put out her debut EP, ‘Sketches’, through Audio Bee record label. It is comprised of six tracks: ‘The Heart of Me’, ‘Now its Gone’, ‘Don't Let it Bring You Down’, ‘The Revolution Song’, ‘Resistance’ and ‘Song of Yesterday’. She did the designs and illustrations on the CD cover, packaging, and inserts such as her handwritten lyrics.

In 2007, she played at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, and Albany Riverfront Jazz Festival. In the following year, she joined her father on stage for Rainforest Foundation Fund Benefit Concert at Carnegie Hall. They also performed together at a Barack Obama election fundraiser at the Hammerstein Ballroom later that year, singing his song ‘Baby Grand’.

Since the release of ‘Sketches,’ she has put out six other singles: ‘For All My Days’ (January 2008), ‘Invisible’ (October 2009), ‘Notice Me’ (May 2010), ‘All I Can Do Is Love’ (August 2011), ‘Beg You to Stay’ (November 2011), and ‘Just the Way You Are’ (September 2013). The last one, a cover of her father’s song of the same name, was done for The Gap's "Back to Blue" television ad campaign.

Joel is very involved in the world of fashion. She was featured as a performer at Manhattan's "Fashion's Night Out" in 2009 (Elie Tahari), 2010 (Bloomingdale's), and 2011 (Bloomingdale's).

In September 2012, she served as the host for the website Julib.com during New York Fashion Week, interviewing various designers, models, and celebrities. In 2017, she, her mother, and her half-sister Sailor appeared together in the ‘Sports Illustrated Swimsuit’ Issue.

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Endorsement Works

In February 2010, Joel became the new spokeswoman for Ultimark Products' Prell brand of shampoo. Furthermore, her songs were used in the background in the brand’s television commercials. Before Joel, her mother had served as Prell’s ambassador.

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Family & Personal Life

On December 5, 2009, Alexa Ray Joel took too much Traumeel, a homoeopathic version of ibuprofen. According to an NYU Medical Center toxicologist, the drug is not made up of any active ingredient and hinted that it was not possible to overdose on it.

Six months later, in an interview to ABC, she spoke about the incident, stating that “she was panicked”. She was not trying to kill herself. Her four-year romantic relationship had ended, and she did not want to bother anyone as it was the holiday season.

Joel revealed that she underwent a rhinoplasty in April 2010 after considering it for five years. In 2013, she began a relationship with restaurateur Ryan Gleason. They got engaged on January 1, 2018.

Alexa Ray Joel Biography