IRISH AMERICAN singer songwriter Eddie Money has passed away, aged 70.
Born Edward Joseph Mahoney, Money was born into a large Irish Catholic family in Brooklyn, New York and grew up on Long Island.
His grandfather, father and brother were all members of the New York City Police Department and Money, himself, was an NYPD trainee for a time.
He ultimately opted to pursue his dream of becoming a musician though, moving to California in 1968 and going on to enjoy significant success.
A sing-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Money’s signature hits include Baby Hold On, Shakin', Two Tickets to Paradise and Take Me Home Tonight.
Two Tickets to Paradise remains a staple of classic rock radio stations far and wide and has featured in everything from The Simpsons to Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
“The Money Family regrets to announce that Eddie passed away peacefully early this morning,” his family said in a statement to Rolling Stone.
“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.”
The musician had been beset by a string of health problems in recent times and confirmed he was battling stage 4 oesophageal cancer while promoting the upcoming series of Real Money, a reality TV series centred on the rock star’s life.
“What I don’t want to do is I don’t want to keep the fact that I have cancer from everybody,” Money said.
“It’s not honest. I want to be honest with everybody. I want people to know that cancer [treatment] has come a long way and not everybody dies from cancer like they did in the Fifties and Sixties. Am I going to live a long time? Who knows? It’s in God’s hands.”
