Rosalind Nyman: What happened to Billy Joel’s mother?

Rosalind Nyman was the mother of Billy Joel. Rosalind Nyman’s son is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is Commonly known as the “Piano Man” a name he gained after his signature 1973 song of the same name, Joel has had a successful music career as a solo artist since the 1970s. He is one of the world’s best-selling music artists; and the fourth-best-selling solo artist in the United States, with over 160 million records sold worldwide.

Rosalind Nyman: Bio Summary

Rosalind Nyman Joel was born on February 15, 1922, in Brooklyn, New York, United States of America. She was the daughter of English immigrants Philip and Rebecca Nyman, according to an obituary on Billy Joel’s website.

In a 1942 student musical production at City College of New York, Rosalind met her future husband Howard Joel, a German immigrant whose family had escaped Nazi Germany, in 1939. The couple bonded over their common interests, however, the couple’s courtship was interrupted by WWII.

He has said that neither of his parents had talked much about World War II, which were such dark years; it was not until later that Joel learned more about his father’s family.

After Howard’s service in the U.S. Army, he returned and walked down the aisle with Rosalind in 1946. The couple went on to have a son three years later. Their son William Martin Joel was born in May of 1949. Later, the family adopted Judy, the daughter of Rosalind’s late sister Muriel.

Though the couple promised to spend the rest of their lives together, things didn’t go as planned. Rosalind and Howard Joel divorced in 1957, and as a single mother, she did clerical work for various businesses near the family home in Hicksville, Long Island to take care of her son. Howard also returned to Europe.

Although Billy Joel’s parents were Jewish, the singer was not raised in the religion, adding “My parents were both from Jewish families. I was not brought up Jewish in any religious way. My circumcision was as Jewish as they got.” He attended a Roman Catholic church with friends and ended up being baptized in a Church of Christ in Hicksville at the age of 11 but now identifies as an atheist.

Rosalind Nyman is credited for her son’s musical education

In addition to an active social life, Rosalind Nyman supported various charitable endeavors the obituary said. Joel reluctantly began piano lessons at age four at his mother’s insistence. Progressing from her strong support in assuring his musical education, the son who would reach world renown as singer-songwriter Billy Joel used his grounding in classical music to help create one of pop music’s most enduring bodies of work.

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Billy Joel’s poignant song, “Rosalinda’s Eyes,” from the 1978 album, 52nd Street, is a tribute to her, derived from the family history. The singer revealed in the lyrics- “… When she smiles she gives everything to me
When she’s all alone she cries. And I’d do anything to take away her tears. Because they’re Rosalinda’s eyes …”

What happened to Billy Joel’s mother?

Billy Joel’s mother Rosalind Nyman passed away on Sunday, July 13, 2014. She was 92 years old at the time of her death. She died in hospice care on Long Island, Newsday reported. Rosalind is survived by her son Billy Joel, and her daughter Judy Molinari; her sister, Bertha Miller; and her two granddaughters, Alexa Ray Joel, and Rebecca Molinari Gehrkin.