Eddie Money, Legendary Musician, Dead at 70 Following Stage 4 Esophageal Cancer Diagnosis

Singer Eddie Money died this past Friday, his family exclusively told PopCulture.com. He was 70. His most famous songs include “Two Tickets to Paradise,” “Take Me Home Tonight,” “Shakin’” and “Baby Hold On.”

“The Money Family regrets to announce that Eddie passed away peacefully early this morning,” the family statement reads. “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.”

Money had recently revealed that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 esophageal cancer. The musician was first diagnosed with cancer last fall, although he did not publicly announce the news until last month. In July, he had canceled his remaining 2019 tour dates when he developed pneumonia following a heart procedure that he had already canceled shows for. Before that, he said in May that he would resume shows in June, although that never happened either due to the pneumonia.

TMZ recently reported that Money spent the last three months in the hospital following complications related to his heart valve procedure in May, which forced him to halt cancer treatments during that time.

“I thought I was just going in to get a checkup and [the doctor] told me that I got cancer,” Money said in a release from AXS TV in August.

His wife Laurie clarified, “He’s been diagnosed with stage 4 esophageal cancer. It’s in his esophagus at the top of his stomach, is where the tumor is. It’s also spread to his liver.”

Money said the news hit him “really, really hard” and that he decided to come clean with his fans and “be honest with everybody” about what’s going on.

“What I don’t want to do is, I don’t want to keep the fact that I have cancer from everybody,” he said. “It’s not honest. I want to be honest with everybody. I want people to know that cancer’s come a long way and not everyone dies from cancer, like they did in the ’50s and ’60s. Am I going to live a long time? Who knows. It’s in God’s hands. But you know what, I’ll take every day I can get. Every day above ground is a good day.”

A reality TV series about Money and his family, Real Money, had aired on AXS TV starting in April 2018. Chronicling his life at home with his family, it also documented his health struggles.

Earlier this month, AXS clarified that Money was still filming the reality show amid the diagnosis and that the remaining episodes in Season 2 will tackle the family’s reaction to it.

“Money received the diagnosis last fall while taping the second season of his popular reality series, which he and his wife, Laurie, executive produce,” the network said. “The six remaining episodes of season two will deal with Money’s cancer and its effects on Eddie and his family. Currently, Money is recuperating from complications involving a heart valve procedure performed in June. The heart issue was a condition unrelated to his cancer.”

Money performed regularly at clubs in the Bay Area, where he made his home. A star of MTV’s formative years, he saw major chart success with songs like “Baby Hold On” and “Two Tickets to Paradise.” His 1986 duet with Ronnie Spector, “Take Me Home Tonight,” was a radio hit.

Money is survived by his wife Laurie and five children, daughter Jesse Money, and sons Zachary, Joseph, Desmond and Julian.