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"Following a recent bout of severe gastro-intestinal distress, Billy Joel has checked himself into an undisclosed rehabilitation facility for treatment of alcohol abuse. Mr. Joel has asked that his privacy be respected," the "Piano Man's" rep tells USA Today.
The 54-year-old singer-songwriter checked into a New York hospital this past February after experiencing severe gastric pains and has been hospitalized three other times in the past three years: twice for minor injuries sustained when his car crashed on Long Island, and once for rehab – spending 10 days at Connecticut's Silver Hill Hospital, a clinic specializing in drug and alcohol treatment.
At the time of his release from Silver Hill, Joel told PEOPLE that a respiratory infection "made me very depressed. ... I then began what was a prolonged period of overindulgence. I don't want to get more specific."
He also said, referring to daughter Alexa Ray, born in 1986 (her mother is Joel's ex-wife Christie Brinkley): "I told my daughter that I recognized I was having a problem. And my gift to her for Father's Day was going to be cleaning up my act."
