The 'Piano Man' hitmaker wants to retire like 'old Jewish guys' as he is offloading his estate at the Oyster Bay for $49 million after buying it in 2002 for $22.5 million.
- Jan 3, 2024
AceShowbiz - Billy Joel has quipped that "nobody" will buy his recently listed Long Island home, due to its price tag. The 74-year-old singer / songwriter recently offered his 26-acre Oyster Bay estate for $49 million and joked he is planning to retire to Florida "like old Jewish guys from Long Island do."
"Just because I'm selling that house doesn't mean I'm leaving Long Island. I still have a house on Long Island. I'm just gonna spend a little more time in Florida like old Jewish guys from Long Island do," Billy said at his concert at the UBS Arena in Elmont.
Although Billy has put the five-bedroom, eight-bathroom home, which is named Middlesea, up for sale, he still has a summer home in Sag Harbor.
Billy bought the Oyster Bay home in 2002 for $22.5 million and has been renovating it for the past few years with the intention to sell.
Reflecting on 2023 during his concert, Billy told the audience, "It was kind of a weird year for me. Nice in some ways, [not nice] in other ways. I'm looking forward to next year anyways."
Meanwhile, it was revealed last year that a biopic of the veteran musician is in the works. The movie is titled "Piano Man" and is being developed by Michael Jai White's Jaigantic Studios with Adam Ripp tapped to write and direct.
The flick will follow Billy's early years - that saw him discovered by his first manager Irwin Mazur at the age of 16, his performances with a Long Island cover band in the 1960s and the breakthrough performance in 1972 that captured the attention of legendary record producer Clive Davis.
However, Billy's representative said that the singer will not be involved with the movie and that no rights in music, name or likeness or life story will be granted to film chiefs.
Jaigantic Studios have instead acquired the life rights to Mazur, who managed Billy from 1965 to 1972 – the year before his breakthrough song and album "Piano Man" was released. According to the producers, music needs for the film are "yet to be determined."
"Piano Man" will be executive produced by Jaigantic Studios along with producers White, Mayne Berke and Donovan de Boer - along with Mazur and Ripp.
Ripp's father Artie signed Billy to his first record deal as a solo artist and produced his debut album "Cold Spring Harbor" in 1971. He said in a statement, "Billy Joel has been a part of my life since my father signed him to his record label when I was four years old; his music is ingrained in my DNA and it's been a dream of mine as a filmmaker to explore and celebrate the untold story of how Billy Joel became the Piano Man."
Mazur added, "What a dream come true! These are the real-life events I witnessed first-hand that shaped Billy from a keyboard player in the local Long Island band, The Hassles, into the iconic musician, singer-songwriter and entertainer who thrills audiences around the world, today."
