Best known for his hits "Two Tickets to Paradise" and "Take Me Home Tonight," blue-collar rocker Eddie Money passed away on September 13th 2019, at the age of 70. A long-time cigarette smoker, Money had previously revealed on his Real Money reality TV show that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 esophageal Esophageal cancer early in 2019. Despite his difficult diagnosis, Money insisted he would try to live his life to the fullest. Born Edward Joseph Mahoney, Eddie Money's path to rock stardom was a stranger one than most. At age 16 he was thrown out of high school for forging his report card, so he joined a local band instead. He later recalled:
"The best way to get to go out with cheerleaders without being on the football team is to be in a rock 'n' roll band."
The son of an NYPD police officer, the "Walk On Water" singer initially wanted to stay in the family business, and actually served on the force for two years before quitting and pursuing his rock and roll dreams. In 2018, he told Rolling Stone:
"I would have been a very lenient cop"
Soon after, Money moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in the music industry. There, he would take voice lessons with Judy Davis, vocal coach to stars such as Frank Sinatra and Barbra Streisand, while supporting himself by selling bell-bottom blue jeans. Within a few years he had signed to Columbia Records and released his first hit record. Overnight, his stage name turned from a self-deprecating joke into stark reality, forcing Money to cope with the pressures of stardom.
Like many of his peers, the cop-turned-rocker struggled with drug addiction during his career, and in the early '80s, his life almost ended much too soon. According to People magazine, Money overdosed on fentanyl in 1981, which led to him badly damaging his sciatic nerve. In 1996, Money told the publication:
"It was very scary. I was in physical therapy for more than a year."
His 1982 album, No Control, was based on the experience, which also left him with a permanent limp. Though Money would continue to struggle with addiction throughout his career, CNN reported he was "clean and sober" by 2003, after making a promise to his family that he would clean up his act. Money said:
"I came to the realization that I really didn't need [it] for my quick wit."
Over the course of his rock career, Money scored 11 Top 30 hits on Billboard's Hot 100 and even earned a Grammy nomination for his hit "Take Me Home Tonight." And although Money's success peaked in the mid-'80s, he maintained a rabid fan base and made several concert appearances each year in the decade before his death, often averaging around 175 shows per year for his fans. TMZ reports that Money sold 28 million albums during his four decade career, but it's unclear who now owns the rights to the legendary rocker's catalog.
As for his personal fortune, according to Celebrity Net Worth, Money may have been worth about $20 million at the time of his death with more conservative estimates hovering around $12 million. Having been a resident of California since 1968, Money's family won't be subject to a state inheritance or estate tax on that fortune, since the state has neither. The singer is survived by his wife and five children, but the directives of his will are not yet clear. Still, inheritance seems to be the last thing on the family's mind. In a statement issued after his passing, Money's family said:
"The Money Family regrets to announce that Eddie passed away peacefully early this morning. It is with heavy hearts that we say goodbye to our loving husband and father. We cannot imagine our world without him. We are grateful that he will live on forever through his music."
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