Eddie Money
Money in 2013
Born
Edward Joseph Mahoney

(1949-03-21)March 21, 1949[1][2]
New York City, U.S.
DiedSeptember 13, 2019(2019-09-13) (aged 70)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • multi-instrumentalist
Years active1970s–2019
Spouses
Margo Lee Walker
​
(m. 1984)​
    Laurie Harris
    ​
    (m. 1989)​
    Children5
    Musical career
    OriginBerkeley, California
    Genres
    Instrument(s)
    • Vocals
    • saxophone
    • keyboards
    • harmonica
    [2]
    Labels
    WebsiteOfficial website Edit this at Wikidata

    Edward Joseph Money (né Mahoney; March 21, 1949 – September 13, 2019) was an American singer and songwriter who, in the 1970s and 1980s, had eleven Top 40 songs, including "Baby Hold On", "Two Tickets to Paradise", "Think I'm in Love", "Shakin'", "Take Me Home Tonight", "I Wanna Go Back", "Endless Nights", "Walk on Water", and "The Love in Your Eyes". Critic Neil Genzlinger of The New York Times called him a working-class rocker.[3] In 1987, he was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance for "Take Me Home Tonight".[4]

    Early life

    Edward Joseph Mahoney was born in Manhattan, New York City on March 21, 1949, to a large family of Irish Catholic descent. His parents were Dorothy Elizabeth (née Keller), a homemaker, and Daniel Patrick Mahoney, a police officer.[3][5][6] He grew up in Levittown, New York,[2][7] but spent some teenage years in Woodhaven, Queens, New York City.[8] Money was a street singer from the age of eleven.[3] As a teenager, he played in rock bands, in part to get dates from cheerleaders.[2] He was thrown out of one high school for forging a report card.[1] In 1967, he graduated from Island Trees High School.[3]

    At the age of 18, he tried to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather, father, and brother as a New York City Police Department trainee.[9] However, after working as a clerk and typist, he left in 1968 to pursue a career in music,[1] as the police did not allow him to grow his hair long.[2] "I couldn't see myself in a police uniform for 20 years of my life, with short hair," he later said.[9] His bandmates also fired him because they did not want a police officer in the group.[3] His father was not happy with his decision to play music and tore the Jimi Hendrix posters from his wall.[2]

    In 1968, Money moved to Berkeley, California.[10] There, he studied with vocal coach Judy Davis, and took on the stage name Eddie Money, dropping a few letters from his name and sarcastically referring to the fact that he was always broke (some people called him "Eddie no money").[2]

    Career

    Music career

    Money (center) in 1990

    Money became a regular performer at clubs in the San Francisco Bay Area.[11] After gaining the attention of Bill Graham,[1] he secured a recording contract with Columbia Records, releasing his debut album in 1977. He charted with singles such as "Baby Hold On" and "Two Tickets to Paradise", about visiting his girlfriend despite not having money.[2][12]

    In 1978, Money opened for Santana at Boston's Music Hall.[3] The following year, he sang backing vocals on the bridge section on "I'm Alright", a song written and performed by Kenny Loggins. In 2014, Money claimed that Loggins never gave him credit for his contribution.[13]

    In 1982, Money took advantage of the MTV music video scene with his humorous narrative videos for "Think I'm in Love", performed at The Mission Inn Hotel & Spa, and "Shakin'".[2] In the early 1980s, he appeared on The Midnight Special, Fridays, and Solid Gold.[14] In 1978 and 1984, he appeared on American Bandstand.[15]

    Money's career began to decline following an unsuccessful 1983 album (Where's the Party?) However, he made a comeback in 1986 with the album Can't Hold Back, which received a music recording certification of platinum.[16] "Take Me Home Tonight", a single from the album, peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States.[17] Money only agreed to perform the song—which included a line from "Be My Baby", a song Ronnie Spector performed as part of The Ronettes—after Spector agreed to sing the line herself.[8] In 1987, Money was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance for "Take Me Home Tonight".[1] "I Wanna Go Back" and "Endless Nights"—two other singles from the Can't Hold Back album—peaked at No. 14 and No. 21, respectively.[18]

    In 1988, Money released Nothing to Lose, which featured the Top 10 hit "Walk on Water" and the Top 40 hit "The Love in Your Eyes".[19]

    Beginning in 1992, Money opened the summer concert season for the Pine Knob Music Theater in Clarkston, Michigan where he would return to open the venue for 27 consecutive years.[20] In 1996, he wrote the theme music to Quack Pack, a Disney cartoon.[21]

    Money was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2008.[7] In January 2010, he performed a medley of his hit singles during the halftime performance at the Liberty Bowl.[22]

    Money performing in Florida

    Money wrote and performed original songs for the films Americathon (1979), Over the Top, Back to the Beach (both 1987), and Kuffs (1992), along with the television series Hardball (1989–1990).[23]

    In the three days following Money's death, fans streamed "Take Me Home Tonight" more than 3.1 million times, which was an increase of 349 percent compared to the previous three-day period. Fans also streamed his other songs by 931 percent more than the three previous days.[17]

    Television, film, and radio career

    Money made several screen appearances.[24]

    In 1997, he appeared in Wonderland, a documentary film about Levittown, New York, where Money went to high school. In the film, he said if he had "two tickets to paradise, I'd probably get back to Levittown".[25]

    Money played a fictionalized version of himself on a 1999 episode of season 5 of The Drew Carey Show. In the episode, he had been Mimi's first husband early in his career and they never made their divorce official.[26] In May 2002, he played himself on an episode of the sitcom The King of Queens.[27]

    In October 2011, Money became the host of "Money in the Morning", a radio show on WSRV. The gig lasted about three months.[28] He appeared in a 2012 GEICO insurance commercial in which he is depicted as a travel agency owner who sings "Two Tickets to Paradise" to a family that wants tickets for a vacation.[2]

    In January 2016, Money partnered with Howard Perl Entertainment,[29] MTV VJ Nina Blackwood,[30] and Hard Rock Rocksino to produce "Money for the Animals",[31] a show designed to raise funds and adopt rescue animals in need.

    In 2018, Money appeared in episode 6 of The Kominsky Method as a fictionalized version of himself who is indebted to the Internal Revenue Service and portrays the character Freddie Money in an eponymous tribute act at a casino to avoid further tax problems.[32]

    On April 8, 2018, Real Money, a reality television series about Money and his family, debuted on AXS TV.[33] An episode sharing his cancer diagnosis aired on AXS TV the day before he died. The show's second season was expected to follow Money's "journey as he tells his family about the disease and undergoes treatment."[34]

    In late April 2018, Weekly Alibi's August March interviewed Money, who discussed his career, his family, and his new television show.[35]

    Personal life and death

    In 1980, after drinking vodka, Money overdosed on a synthetic barbiturate that he mistook for cocaine. He suffered damage to the sciatic nerve on his left leg, was unable to walk for months, and had a permanent limp thereafter.[1][11][36][3]

    On Valentine's Day 1984 in Moraga, California, Money married Margo Lee Walker, a student from Los Angeles. Money and his bride tried to keep the wedding private, "but a crowd of screaming teenage fans showed up."[37]

    Money married Laurie Harris in 1989.[38] Together, they had five children: Zachary, Jessica, Joseph, Julian, and Desmond.[36] They were married for 30 years and had renewed their vows three months before his death.[39]

    In March 2000, Money purchased a home in Westlake Village, California, where he lived with his family.[40] At one point in the early 2000s, Money also had a home in Island Estates, a gated community in Palm Coast, Florida, which he called "my place to play golf, be creative, go fishing, go surfing and have fun".[41]

    In 2001, Money joined a 12-step program to deal with his drinking and made a promise to his wife and children that he would change. In 2003, he reported that he was clean and sober.[36]

    Money — who had been a cigarette smoker for years — developed pneumonia following a minimally invasive heart valve replacement surgery in July 2019, causing him to cancel tour dates.[7] On August 24, 2019, he revealed that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 esophageal cancer;[42] he died of complications from the cancer at Keck Hospital of USC in Los Angeles on September 13, 2019, at age 70.[34][11][43][44] A year later, his family filed a lawsuit alleging wrongful death against the hospital, with an additional allegation of medical malpractice.[44]

    Discography

    Studio albums

    References

    1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Hall, Kristin M. (September 13, 2019). "Eddie Money, 'Two Tickets to Paradise' singer, dies at 70". apnews.com. Associated Press. Archived from the original on September 13, 2019. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
    2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Smith, Harrison (September 13, 2019). "Eddie Money, singer behind 'Take Me Home Tonight' and 'Two Tickets to Paradise,' dies at 70". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 16, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
    3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Genzlinger, Neil (September 13, 2019). "Eddie Money, 'Two Tickets to Paradise' Singer, Is Dead at 70". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 13, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
    4. ↑ Bertram, Scot (September 23, 2019). "Eddie Money, the Slightly Undersold Rock Artist". National Review. Archived from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
    5. ↑ Newman, Jason (April 25, 2018). "Eddie Money Talks New Reality Show and Why He'll Never Retire". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
    6. ↑ "Music Interview: Eddie Money". Alibi.com. Archived from the original on August 24, 2019. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
    7. 1 2 3 Guzmán, Rafer (September 13, 2019). "Reports: LI-raised rocker Eddie Money has died". Newsday. Archived from the original on September 14, 2019. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
    8. 1 2 Stetler, Carrie (February 20, 1987). "With His Career Recharged, Eddie Money Can't Hold Back". The Morning Call. Archived from the original on July 8, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
    9. 1 2 Fitz-Gibbon, Jorge; Italiano, Laura (September 14, 2019). "NYPD clears up Eddie Money cop mystery". New York Post. Archived from the original on September 14, 2019. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
    10. ↑ Beals, Melba (June 9, 1980). "Ten Years After He Threw the Book at Him, a Besieged Judge Finds He Can Bank on Rocker Eddie Money". People. Archived from the original on October 17, 2017. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
    11. 1 2 3 Halperin, Shirley (September 13, 2019). "Eddie Money, 'Two Tickets to Paradise' Singer, Dies at 70". Variety. Archived from the original on September 14, 2019. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
    12. ↑ "Eddie Money Chart History". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 17, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
    13. ↑ Cain, Tim (March 20, 2014). "Eddie Money vs. Kenny Loggins". Herald & Review. Archived from the original on February 16, 2022. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
    14. ↑ "R.I.P. Eddie Money, hit-making rocker of the 1970s and '80s". MeTV. September 13, 2019. Archived from the original on August 14, 2020. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
    15. ↑ "American Bandstand Season 27 Episode 19". TV.com. Archived from the original on April 10, 2016. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
    16. ↑ "Eddie Money, Starship featuring Mickey Thomas to land in Catoosa". Claremore Daily Progress. September 22, 2017. Archived from the original on August 26, 2019. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
    17. 1 2 Caulfield, Keith. "Eddie Money's 'Take Me Home Tonight' Streamed Over 3 Million Times in U.S. Since His Death". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 18, 2019. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
    18. ↑ Rutherford, Kevin. "Rewinding the Charts: In 1986, Eddie Money & Ronnie Spector Staged a Comeback With 'Take Me Home Tonight'". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 30, 2019. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
    19. ↑ Radenhausen, Jim (May 18, 2017). "'Can't Hold Back' when Eddie Money takes the stage at Mount Airy". Pocono Record. Archived from the original on August 26, 2019. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
    20. ↑ Graham, Adam (September 13, 2019). "Eddie Money, longtime fixture at Pine Knob/DTE, dies". The Detroit News. Archived from the original on September 14, 2019. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
    21. ↑ TOM LOUNGES. "Money's still rockin' after all these years". nwitimes.com. Archived from the original on June 7, 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
    22. ↑ Snyder, Whitney (January 2, 2010). "Eddie Money's Liberty Bowl Halftime Show Performance VIDEO: 'Two Tickets To Paradise'". HuffPost. Archived from the original on February 9, 2015. Retrieved September 9, 2012.
    23. ↑ Terrace, Vincent (2015). The Television Crime Fighters Factbook: Over 9,800 Details from 301 Programs, 1937–2003 (illustrated ed.). McFarland. p. 60. ISBN 978-1476611433. Archived from the original on September 1, 2017. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
    24. ↑ "Eddie Money". TV Guide. Archived from the original on February 23, 2023. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
    25. ↑ "A Suburban Safari". New York. October 27, 1997. Archived from the original on February 23, 2023. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
    26. ↑ "Eddie Money – History". EddieMoney.com. Eddie Money. Archived from the original on September 14, 2019. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
    27. ↑ Shay, Jim (May 10, 2018). "Rock headliner announced for Milford Oyster Festival". Connecticut Post. Archived from the original on August 26, 2019. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
    28. ↑ Ruggieri, Melissa (September 13, 2019). "Eddie Money has died at 70". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on September 16, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
    29. ↑ Niesel, Jeff. "Eddie Money to Headline Rock & Roll to the Rescue Benefit (Part 2)". Cleveland Scene. Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
    30. ↑ "Ex-MTV VJ @NinaBlackwood Hosts Benefit @HRRocksinoNP for Geauga County Rescue Village". CoolCleveland. November 3, 2015. Archived from the original on October 16, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
    31. ↑ Niesel, Jeff. "Eddie Money to Headline Rock & Roll to the Rescue Benefit (Part 2)". Cleveland Scene. Archived from the original on October 16, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
    32. ↑ ""The Kominsky Method" Chapter 6: A Daughter Detoxes". IMDb. Archived from the original on September 23, 2019. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
    33. ↑ DesOrmeau, Taylor (May 14, 2018). "Eddie Money headlines classic rock show at Jackson County Fair". Booth Newspapers. Archived from the original on August 26, 2019. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
    34. 1 2 Williams, Janice (September 13, 2019). "What Was Eddie Money's Cause of Death? Musician Dead at 70 Years Old". Newsweek. Archived from the original on September 14, 2019. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
    35. ↑ "Music Interview: Because I Can't Get Enough", Weekly Alibi, April 26, 2018, archived from the original on August 24, 2019, retrieved May 17, 2018
    36. 1 2 3 Kappes, Serena (January 13, 2003). "Eddie Money now clean and sober". CNN. Archived from the original on November 3, 2011.
    37. ↑ "Wedding News". United Press International. February 15, 1984. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
    38. ↑ "Eddie Money profile". People. June 17, 1996. Archived from the original on December 20, 2019. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
    39. ↑ Kietty, Martin. "Eddie Money Renewed Marriage Vows Months Before He Died Read More: Eddie Money Renewed Marriage Vows Months Before He Died". ultimateclassicrock.com. UCR. Archived from the original on September 25, 2019. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
    40. ↑ "Take a peek at Eddie Money's family, Westlake home". Ventura County Star. April 3, 2018. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
    41. ↑ Bruce, Matt (September 13, 2019). "Eddie Money, famed rocker and former Flagler County resident, dies at 70". The Daytona Beach News-Journal. Archived from the original on September 14, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
    42. ↑ Vera, Amir (August 24, 2019). "Rocker Eddie Money announces he has esophageal cancer". CNN. Archived from the original on August 25, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
    43. ↑ Kreps, Daniel (September 13, 2019). "Eddie Money, 'Take Me Home Tonight' and 'Baby Hold On' Hitmaker, Dead at 70". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on September 15, 2019. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
    44. 1 2 "The late Eddie Money's family files wrongful death lawsuit against hospital that treated him". KSHE 95. December 17, 2020. Archived from the original on December 17, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2021 – via ABC News.
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