Photo's of Billy through the years... (CBS News)

Jan. 20, 1988
Billy Joel arrives with his wife, supermodel Christie Brinkley, at New York's Waldorf Astoria Hotel for the induction ceremonies to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Jan. 20, 1988. The couple were married from 1985 to 1994 and have a teenage daughter, Alexa Ray. (Photo: AP)




June 3, 1988
Billy Joel shares a moment with his wife Christie Brinkley, June 3, 1988. They were posed next to the wall-mounted piano Joel used during his 1987 concert tour of the Soviet Union. (Photo: AP)


May 8, 1993
Billy Joel delivers the commencement address at the Berklee Collge of Music in Boston, this May 8, 1993. (Photo: AP)










March, 15, 1999
Ray Charles hugs Billy Joel after introducing him during the 14th Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in New York, March, 15, 1999. Joel was inducted into the hall of fame in the "performer" category during the ceremony. (Photo: AP)




March 9, 2000
Billy Joel, left, a Long Island native, meets with Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., on Capitol Hill in Washington, March 9, 2000, seeking aid for Long Island lobster harvesters. (Photo: AP)




June 16, 2000
President Bill Clinton, center, laughs along with Kevlin Eusebio, 9, a fourth grade student at PS96, as entertainer Billy Joel makes a joke during a discussion about the importance of music education at the school, June 16, 2000, in New York. (Photo: AP)





March 29, 2001
Elton John, left, performs with singers Billy Joel, center and Paul Simon during the finale of "An All-Star Tribute to Brian Wilson" concert, March 29, 2001, at New York's Radio City Music Hall. (Photo: AP)


June 14, 2001
Entertainer Billy Joel addresses the audience after receiving the Johnny Mercer Award at The National Academy of Popular Music/Songwriters Hall of Fame 32nd annual induction and awards ceremony, June 14, 2001, in New York. (Photo: AP)



Sept. 21, 2001
Billy Joel performs "New York State of Mind" with a fallen firefighter's helmet on his piano during the live broadcast of "America: A Tribute To Heroes," Sept. 21, 2001, in New York. (Photo: AP/Wireimage.com)


Feb. 25, 2002
Billy Joel, center, stands with fellow musicians Richard Joo, from left, Diana Krall, Don Henley, Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora after Joel received the Person of the Year award before the 12th Annual MusiCares tribute dinner, Feb. 25, 2002, in Los Angeles. Joel was honored for his accomplishments as a musician and as a humanitarian. (Photo: AP)




Feb. 27, 2002
Tony Bennett, left, and Billy Joel perform "New York State of Mind" during the 44th annual Grammy Awards, Feb. 27, 2002, in Los Angeles. (Photo: AP)





July 19, 2002
Billy Joel, left, and Twyla Tharp, right, acknowledge the audience during the curtain call of the Musical "Movin' Out," July 19, 2002, in Chicago. Twenty-six of Billy Joel's song's were included in this world premiere, pre-Broadway engagement, that was choreographed and directed by Tharp. (Photo: AP)




Jan. 26, 2003
Car parts sit next to a tree missing chunks of bark at the scene where singer Billy Joel's car swerved off the road in Sag Harbor, N.Y., Jan. 26, 2003. Joel was airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital and released a day later. Joel escaped serious injury in a car crash in East Hampton in June 2002, after which he checked in to a substance abuse and psychiatric center. He was also involved in a motorcycle accident on Long Island in 1983. (Photo: AP)


March 11, 2003
Billy Joel settles into a seat at the Richard Rodgers Theatre for a performance of "Movin' Out," March 11, 2003, in New York. Joel penned the music and lyrics for the Broadway musical. (Photo: AP)



June 8, 2003
Billy Joel is flanked by his daughter, Alexa Ray Joel, left, and his girlfriend Kate Lee as they arrive to the 57th Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall, June 8, 2003, in New York. (Photo: AP)


March 28, 2003
Elton John, left, and Billy Joel greet on stage before their concert at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Friday, March 28, 2003. (Photo: AP/Las Vegas Sun)




April 21, 2004
Actor Michael J. Fox, right, performs "Johnny Be Good" with musicians Elton John, left, and Billy Joel, April 21, 2004, during the annual Rainforest Foundation benefit concert at Carnegie Hall in New York. (Photo: AP)










April 21, 2004
Billy Joel arrives at the Pierre Hotel in New York for the post show gala and dinner for the 12th Annual Rainforest Foundation benefit concert, April 21, 2004. Joel has had more than two dozen Top 10 hits in his career, including his signature 1974 song "Piano Man." He's also made headlines for a string of car accidents, from which he's escaped serious injury. (Photo: AP)







April 25, 2004
A fireman stands near Billy Joel's 1967 Citroen after it crashed into the side of a house in Bayville, N.Y., April 25, 2004. It was the Grammy Award-winning artist's third car accident in two years. (Photo: AP)