John Roca/News
Billy Joel's ex-wife Katie Lee might be part of the reason the "Piano Man" canceled his memoir.Was Katie Lee part of the groundswell that caused Billy Joel to cancel his memoir?
As the comely "Early Show" contributor celebrated the publication of her novel "Groundswell" on the West Coast last week, buzz persisted that her reaction to her ex-husband's portrayal of her in "The Book of Joel" contributed to the Piano Man's decision to cancel the book's publication last March.
A music industry insider tells us that Lee, who somehow got an advance look at the manuscript, didn't like passages where Joel depicted her as a woman spoiled by the glamorous trappings of his rock-star life, or his assertion that her own desire to become a celebrity exacted a toll on their relationship.(The couple married in October 2004 and separated in June 2009.)
BILLY JOEL AND KATIE LEE SPLIT! A LOOK BACK AT WHY IT HAPPENED
Another source who saw the "The Book of Joel" manuscript when it was sent to media outlets in the U.S. and across the pond for first serial excerpts says Joel's portrayal of Lee, who is more than 30 years his junior, is actually quite balanced and includes passages in which Lee speaks in her own voice.
The source adds that Joel's manuscript left the impression that he still carried a torch for Lee.
That said, portions of "The Book of Joel" do dovetail with accounts of Lee's dissatisfaction with her portrayal. One takes place in fall 2008, when a glammed-up Lee and her friends show up at Town Hall here, where Joel was rehearsing for an Obama fund-raiser.
Joel wrote that he felt like a "circus act" watched by "debutantes" as well as a whiff of "condescension" from Lee.
Not long after that, Joel realized his marriage was foundering when he planned to spend a tour break with his wife in romantic Bali - and Lee chose to return to the U.S. Joel also addressed the famous photos of Lee dancing with Yigal Azrouel in Miami and wrote that the fashion designer was not the reason their marriage ended.
And, we hear, Lee was not the sole reason Joel pulled the book. As we reported in April, he was also influenced by the death of his father, Howard Joel, on March 7.
Fred Schruers, who wrote the book with Joel, declined to comment. Joel's spokeswoman said Lee "had nothing to do with the book's cancellation."
Lee's spokeswoman concurred, saying Lee and Joel remain friends and that it's "absurd to think he would throw out years of work and millions of dollars because of his ex-wife's opinion."
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Frank DiGiacomo: fdigiacomo@nydailynews.com
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