Joel might be one of the most accomplished singer-songwriters of his generation, but in recent years he's been better known for his booze-fueled misadventures and much-younger wives.

Joel was raised by his mom in Long Island and started playing the piano and singing as a young kid. His big breakthrough arrived with the 1977 album The Stranger, which featured a string of hit singles, awarded him two Grammys and transformed him into one of the most popular singer songwriters of the era. Joel continued to pump out hits throughout the 1980s and early '90s, but since his heyday nearly a decade ago, he's been largely absent from the pop scene but continues to tour. In recent years he's been composing classical music and in 2003 he collaborated with Twyla Tharp on the Broadway hit Movin' Out, which earned him a Tony award.

Joel divorced his first wife, Elizabeth Weber, in 1982 and traded way up when he married supermodel Christie Brinkley two years later. The Piano Man and the Uptown Girl were married for nine years and had one daughter, Alexa Ray, before splitting. In 2004, at age 55, Joel got married for a third time, to 23-year-old "restaurant critic" Katie Lee. However, the couple eventually split in 2009. Joel has long struggled with alcohol abuse and has often found himself in legal trouble from his DUI's and lawsuits against family members and former tour managers. [Image via Getty]