Billy Joel’s Ex Christie Brinkley Speaks Out After His Health Diagnosis: ‘You’re Our Piano Man’

Billy Joel can always count on Christie Brinkley to be in his corner.

The model, 71, shared an Instagram post on Saturday, May 24, in which she paid tribute to her ex-husband, 76, after he revealed his recent diagnosis of normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) a day prior.

Posting a video that featured various clips of herself and daughter Sailor Brinkley Cook, whose dad is Peter Cook, attending one of Billy’s concerts, Brinkley wrote, “The whole Brinkley gang is sending you lots of love and good wishes for a full and speedy recovery.”

“I was looking for some cute photos of you and Alexa to send you, when I came across this clip from a recent concert. It made me laugh … but it also reminded me of all the joy you create, and all the sensational sing-alongs you’ve [led],” she continued. “You turn an arena of strangers into a living room full of friends as we all sway in unison.”

Added Brinkley: “I’m sure I’m speaking for everyone in that room when I say please take good care of yourself, we all want you back in that white hot spotlight, you’re OUR piano man. And we’re always in the mood for your melodies and we all hope you’re feeling alright! We Love You, the kids, me and an arena or two!”

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Billy and Brinkley wed in 1985 after meeting two years prior. They welcomed a daughter together, Alexa Ray Joel, in 1985, before their 1994 divorce.

In her recently released memoir, Uptown Girl, Brinkley recounted how she and the music icon met at a dive motel bar in St. Barts.

“He definitely didn’t look like a rock star,” the mom of three said of her first impression of Billy, who was sitting behind a piano.

“The man was sunburned to a crisp, his face the same color as cranberries and unctuous with oil, which he’d undoubtedly slathered on to soothe the burn, topped by what I like to call ‘the Long Island bubble:’ a carapace of curly shellacked hair popular in the 1980s in parts of suburban New York,” Brinkley added.

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Speaking with PEOPLE recently about her romance with Billy, Brinkley said, “We laughed like you couldn’t believe.”

“But also he was so sensitive and he did all the old-fashioned things, the flowers, the notes and the poems and the songs,” she continued. “He was going into the recording studio and he was writing all these songs and saying, ‘This one’s for you.’ How could I not fall in love with him?” 

Brinkley added that watching Billy perform live added a spark to their relationship during their time together.

“When I heard him sing on stage, I found myself undeniably attached to this physically hot and charismatic man,” she explained.

Billy announced on May 23 that he will be canceling all scheduled concerts following his NPH diagnosis. (NPH is a condition where excess cerebrospinal fluid builds up in the brain ventricles.)

The star — who is also a dad to daughters Della Rose Joel, 9, and Remy Anne Joel, 7, with wife Alexis Roderick — is undergoing specific physical therapy under his doctor’s instructions. He has also been “advised to refrain from performing during this recovery period.”

Brinkley’s post for her ex-husband was shared hours after their daughter Alexa, 39, honored Billy with her own tribute to him amid his health ordeal.

Posting a black and white photo of artwork that depicted a dad holding his young daughter’s hand, she wrote, in part, “We love you and we got you, Pop!”

“The genuine care, empathy, and concern from everyone means so much to him … it means a lot to me, too,” Alexa added, then concluding her caption with the lyrics from “Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)” — a song Billy wrote for her that was released on his 1993 album River of Dreams.