This latest development comes after a search warrant was made public in June.
Billy Joel didn’t want to follow in all of his father’s footsteps.
While the 76-year-old “Piano Man” singer is a talented pianist and musician like his dad, Howard, the duo’s complicated father-son relationship drove Joel to want to be the father he never had.
In an interview with People, published July 24, Joel opened up about his lifelong mission.
RELATED: Billy Joel’s first wife shares first comments since his brain disorder diagnosis
“It means a lot to me, and I think that's maybe part of the father thing,” Joel told the outlet of his dream to be a father. “I didn't have a dad, so it was very important for me to be a dad.”
“I love all of my girls. And poetic justice, I had all girls, of course, but I’m really enjoying this a lot,” he added. “It’s something I was looking forward to all my life, and here I am.”
Joel first became a father in 1985 when he welcomed daughter Alexa Ray with then-wife Christie Brinkley, according to People.
The “Uptown Girl” singer also shares daughters Della, 9, and Remy, 7, with his current wife Alexis Roderick, whom he tied the knot with in 2015.
Joel’s comments come one day before the release of the second part of his new HBO documentary, “Billy Joel: And So It Goes.” The first part came out on July 18, with the second part coming July 25, per Today.
In the film, Joel opens up about the relationship he had (and didn’t have) with his father.
The “Vienna” singer was just eight years old when his dad left him, his sister Judy and his mother Rosalind, who struggled to support the brother-sister duo, according to the Kennedy Center.
In order to help his mother make ends meet, Joel played at a piano bar and eventually dropped out of high school to pursue a career in music.
In his new documentary, Joel details how he went searching for his father in his early 20s. That search led him to Vienna, where he found his father with a new family.
“We never really made a strong connection… It’s disappointing,” Joel says of his father in the doc — adding that he “would’ve liked” his father to be “proud” of him, according to People.
Joel’s wife says daughters have ‘most amazing version’ of him
Joel and Roderick, an accomplished equestrian and former risk manager at Morgan Stanley, met in 2009, according to The New Yorker.
The “New York State of Mind” singer introduced himself to Roderick in a restaurant and got her number before heading back to his table to eat.
When he was done eating, he called Roderick and asked her if she could drive him home — and the rest is history.
The couple tied the knot in 2015, welcomed their first daughter one month later and had a second daughter in 2017, according to People.
“Having these little kids at this time in my life is such a joy,” Joel says in the doc, per the outlet.
“I have time to be with them… I wanted to make sure that they got everything they needed from me, so I kind of knuckled down and took fatherhood very, very seriously,” he added.
As for Roderick, who also appears in the doc, she praised Joel for “years of learning and personal growth” and gushed that her daughters “have the most amazing” version of their dad.
Her comments come five weeks after Joel’s older daughter, Alexa Ray, wished him a Happy Father’s Day on Instagram.
“Thanks for giving me all the love, wisdom, melodies, heart, and soul I could ever ask for,” she wrote in the caption. “Hey, I’m even lucky enough to have a timeless lullaby and a beautiful boat named after me!”
According to Genius, Joel wrote the song “Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel),” released in 1994, for his eldest daughter, who was born in 1985.
In an interview with Soundings Online, Joel said he named one of his boats, 36 Swordfish Alexa, after his daughter and vowed that he would “always have Alexa.”
“I remain forever touched and grateful that you have given me so much. Thank you for your generous spirit, endlessly deep intellect, and sweeping musical legacy,” Alexa ray added in her caption.
ALSO ON MOD MOMS CLUB: Teddi Mellencamp was home with estranged husband, kids when intruders tried to break in
“Every moment with you is an instant classic,” Alexa Ray concluded in her post.
