Joel: Mom's not to blame for troubles

NEW YORK, Jan. 5 (UPI) -- U.S. singer-songwriter Alexa Ray Joel says alleged criticism from her mother, model Christie Brinkley, did not play a role in her suicidal gesture last month.

Joel, the 24-year-old daughter of Brinkley and rock 'n' roll icon Billy Joel, reportedly swallowed eight homeopathic Traumeel pills and called 911 stating she wanted to die.

The New York Post quoted the younger Joel as saying on her Facebook page that a recent split with a boyfriend was to blame for her "heartbreak-related depression," not harsh comments from Brinkley, as had been reported in the media.

"The press was particularly harsh on my mother, which is unthinkable to me, because she is the kindest woman I've ever known," the Post reported Joel said in her Web posting.