The Joels Split

I read this morning that Billy Joel and his wife Katie Lee Joel are separating after 5 years of marriage.

Normally, when I hear about the break-up of a marriage, I always feel a sense of sadness--but not this time.

Billy Joel was 54 when he married a 23-year-old Katie...she was just five years older than Alexa Ray Joel, Billy's daughter.

A few years ago, I saw the Joels appear on Oprah (Katie was showing off her home and promoting her new cookbook), and seeing them together gave me the creeps. Katie is so young and so pretty, and the sight of her with someone 32 years her senior was, in a word, nauseating. To his credit, Billy did appear to be slightly embarrassed as he sat there with this gorgeous fetus by his side. He has been through quite a bit in his 60 years of life, and every bit of it shows on his face.

The end of a marriage is not something to be celebrated, but I can't help but be relieved in this case.