People News

New book documents Joel's life

Oct 10, 2005, 11:10 GMT

Billy Joel once drank furniture polish in an apparent attempt to kill himself.

In a new book, 'Billy Joel: The Life & Times of an Angry Young Man', author Hank Bordowitz claims the star one drank furniture polish because it would be easier than swilling down bleach.The singer - who has had a well-documented battle with alcohol - is quoted as saying: "I drank furniture polish. It looked tastier than bleach."Before he drank it, Joel reportedly wrote a suicide note that eventually became the lyrics to 'Tomorrow Is Today'.Bordowitz details how Joel's friend, drummer Jon Small, discovered him passed out in his closet and rushed him to hospital.Joel - who was once married to supermodel Christie Brinkley - was moved to a psychiatric ward and put on suicide watch.He later begged his manager to get him out of the ward, pleading: "These people are really crazy."It's claimed the episode was brought on by the star's secret affair with Jon Small's wife, Elizabeth.Joel later penned several songs for Elizabeth - who later became his wife - including, 'She's Got a Way' and 'She's Always a Woman'.Copyright 2005 BANG Media International

On the Web

Blowing Up Blogs

Place your ad here
Loading...

Billy Joel - View Billy Joel Pictures - Billy Joel News

Your Talkback on this Story

Latest Headlines in People

Older Talkback

Like M&C on Facebook

Custom Search

Viral Web

Billy Joel: The Life & Times Of An Angry Young Man

The author takes an in-depth look at the superstar singer-songwriter who wrote some of the biggest hits of the 20th century. ...more

US Release: 2005-07-10
UK Release:

The Fine Print

© 2003 - 2012 by Monsters and Critics.com, WotR Ltd. All Rights Reserved. All photos are copyright their respective owners and are used under license or with permission. * Note M&C cannot be held responsible for the content on other Web Sites.

Servers supplied by Servint