The Divorce Goes Through
To Joel, the relationship was over then and there. He realized Weber didn’t really love him – she might have liked him, but she loved the lifestyle and the money and the idea of being famous – take your pick – more.
It’s telling that even Elizabeth’s sister Frank took Joel’s side in the divorce. However, years later, in 1989, Joel discovered that Frank had drained something like thirty million dollars from his earnings improperly. Joel then had to sue Frank to get his money back. He not only got it back, but he was also about to get an extra sixty million dollars in punitive damages.
Still Hoping for Reconciliation
The couple filed for divorce in 1982, but the decision wasn't mutual. Elizabeth wanted out.
Joel, on his part, was urging her to stay and was willing to do anything that she wanted, including buying her a $4 million home on the Upper East Side and an Alfa Romeo, worth anywhere from merely tens of thousands of dollars to hundreds. But it just wasn't to meant be. As the divorce was still going through the motions, Billy Joel – despondent and upset – got into a terrible motorcycle accident.
Bad Bedside Manners
The accident smashed up Joel's hands – something that is, you might recognize, pretty important for playing the piano. In the hospital, heavily medicated with pain pills, Elizabeth brought a contract to him, offering to stay with him as long as he signed. At first, Joel was overjoyed until he realized that by signing the contract, he would have given Elizabeth every single thing that he owned.
All of his money, possessions, and rights to his music. “I may have acted like an idiot a time or two,” Joel told his biographer, “but I'm not a complete idiot.” He sent Weber away for good.
A Costly Relationship
Frank was one step ahead of Joel during the court proceedings, however. He outwitted Joel by filing for bankruptcy. The two sides of the issue had to settle out of court in 1990. It seems that joining Elizabeth in marriage was the costliest decision that Billy Joel could ever make. It was his first experience with marriage, and it was enough to make anyone jaded with the entire idea.
Joel was now wary of future relationships, though it seems like he wasn't wary enough. Just because one relationship had ended badly – quite badly – that doesn't mean that every relationship will. Yes, it was still true. Billy Joel was a hopeless romantic.
Undiscouraged
Joel wasn't going to give up finding the love of his life. He eagerly clung to the idea of romance, though as he got back into the dating scene, he decided to guard himself a little better. He wasn't going to give up, however, and hoped that the next time he walked down the aisle, it was going to last.
If you've read to this point, you know that it didn't. However, he also set his sights a little higher – his next romantic interest was a supermodel. Now a big-time music star, he was starting to meet a lot more of them.