Mental health advocacy has long been Alexa Ray Joel’s calling.
Mental health advocacy has long been Alexa Ray Joel’s calling. On Sunday, August 3, she will take the helm as the celebrity grand marshal for the Hope for Depression Research Foundation’s Race of Hope, a poignant milestone now in its tenth year.
The event, which brings runners, families, and supporters together in Southampton Village, gives Alex the cherished chance to honor the progress made in research and to spotlight the work still required.
From an early age, the daughter of Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley witnessed the transformative strength of open conversation. Now, as she takes to the starting line, Alexa plans to use her voice to remind others that every step taken—on the course and in life—counts toward greater understanding and healing.
When the “Seven Years” singer—who turns 39 tomorrow—talks about the upcoming role, she gets quiet for a second. “It’s a very personal cause” is all she adds.
“Depression runs in my family. I’ve watched my father fight it, I’ve watched my grandmother fight it, and I’ve carried enough of it inside my own head, too. I’m doing better these days—exercise, which I never thought I’d say, really helps.”
“I’ve always struggled with it. I call it a non-existential weight. You can’t see it, can’t hold it, can’t hand it back. It presses down in the back of your mind so everything feels heavy. I wouldn’t say I have chronic depression; it ebbs and it flows.”
Alexa has never shied from sharing the messy parts of her heart. She remembers the house she grew up in, remembers the quiet thing that always shadowed her father. “He struggled with depression his whole life, so I know how crucial it is to shed light.”
She hesitates, then adds, “And his mother—my beautiful, far-too-early grandmother—struggled with bipolar disorder, too. I miss her all the time.”
“It wasn’t named back then, not the way it is now. Back in the ‘50s, when the word ‘psychologist’ barely left the page, people tended to call it something hush-hush, something bad. By the time anyone bothered to listen, we found it was bipolar disorder.”
Billy open up about the nights he couldn’t tell whether time was flying or grinding through molasses, in HBO’s Billy Joel: And So It Goes. At 76, he hands over the record, and daughter Alexa sees it as a blessing and a burden.
“He sailed through disaster and kept a shiny refractor in his pocket. Each crash made the next melody brighter. It’s why his songs reach folks in laundromats and stadiums alike,” she explains. “For the first time, the man and the melody feel the same: both stitched from the same frayed edges.”
“That’s the blueprint. If your teeth drag in the dirt and the world shuts its door, it still leaves a small hinge. I joke Dad’s a cat with way too many streets; nine lives too few. He carries hurt and triumph like sentimental charms, and the jingling never gets dull.”
Regarding the August 3 event—last year the race generated over $500,000 to push forward vital mental health studies—Alexa is thrilled to spread the word while moving the body.
“Reducing the stigma around mental health has long been my top mission. If they call, I show up. I can’t wait to be among a crowd that lifts this cause up,” she says.
Here is everything you need to know!
Who is Alexa Ray joel.
Alexa Ray Joel is the only child of Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley, born December 29, 1985. A singer, songwriter, and pianist, she weaves her own music while drawing on her dad’s legacy and has toured with him onstage.
What about Alexa Ray joel wedding.
Alexa Ray Joel married Ryan Gleason on January 11, 2023, at the Joel family estate on Long Island, where her dad once devoted the grounds to summer barnyard picnics. Christie Brinkley and Alexis Roderick, Billy’s fourth wife, were among the guests.
wedding details:
- Date: January 11, 2023.
- Wedding site: the sprawling Long Island estate of Billy Joel.
- Bride: Alexa Ray Joel, talented singer-songwriter.
- Groom: Ryan Gleason, a successful restaurateur.
- Dress: a one-of-a-kind creation by Vera Wang.
- First dance together: “My Heart Will Go On” sung by Celine Dion.
Alexa Ray Joel age/height.
- Birthday: 1985 (currently 39), raised in Manhattan, NY
- Parents: Billy Joel, Christie Brinkley
- Current partner: Ryan Gleason (engaged since 2018)
- Half-siblings: Sailor Brinkley Cook, Jack Paris Brinkley Cook
- Height: 5-foot-2
- Instruments: Singing, piano, and keyboards
Alexa Ray Joel songs.
- “The Heart of Me”
- “Now It’s Gone”
- “Don’t Let It Bring You Down”
- “The Revolution Song”
- “Resistance”
- “Song of Yesterday”
Alexa Ray Joel and plastic surgery.
Alexa Ray Joel, daughter of Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley, has confirmed one past cosmetic procedure. In 2010 she told reporters she had a rhinoplasty to fix a breathing problem and then stressed she was finished with surgery.
Since then, tabloids have speculated about a facelift or eyelid work. Alexa has dismissed those rumors, pointing to natural aging, clever makeup, and new hairdos.
In a 2014 chat she restated, “I’m not going to lie, I had a nose job. But that’s it. I’ve never had any other plastic surgery. I’m happy with the way I look now.”
It’s essential to remember that choosing plastic surgery is a deeply personal choice—each person arrives at that decision for their own, unique set of reasons.