Billy Joel vs. Christie -- Who's Worse Off Now?

With word that supermodel Christie Brinkley is separating from her fourth husband, we couldn't help but wonder: Who's had a harder life post divorce -- Christie or her second ex, Billy Joel?

Brinkley's rep confirmed on Tuesday the split from Peter Cooke, her husband of 10 years. She has a daughter with Cooke, a daughter with Joel, and a son with third husband Richard Taubman.

Actually, a tragedy brought Taubman and Brinkley together. They met when both were passengers in a helicopter that crashed in Colorado in 1994. Ironically, they married near the site of the chopper crash but the union lasted for less than a year. Brinkley reportedly had to pay Taubman $2 mil as a parting gift to end the marriage.

As for Joel's misfortunes, he was also married before and after Brinkley, though the latter nuptials in 2004 with then 23-year-old Katie Lee is still going.

Joel has encountered several other bumps in the road -- literally. "The Piano Man" was involved in three infamous car accidents within a two-year span. In June 2002, Joel crashed his car in Long Island -- escaping serious injury. In 2003, he crashed his car into a tree, also on Long Island. And in early 2004, he crashed his car again, on Long Island, again -- this time into a house.

Joel checked himself into rehab shortly after the first accident and then again in 2005.