Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Family: Eddie Money, ‘Two Tickets to Paradise’ Singer, Dies
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
September 13, 2019

Share

A publicist for Eddie Money said the rock star has died after he recently announced he had stage 4 esophageal cancer. He was 70.
Cindy Ronzoni provided a statement from the family and said Money died Friday morning in Los Angeles.

“It is with heavy hearts that we say goodbye to our loving husband and father. It’s so hard to imagine our world without him, however he will live on forever through his music.” — a statement from the family
The husky-voiced, blue collar performer was known for such hits as “Two Tickets to Paradise” and “Take Me Home Tonight.” In 1987, he received a best rock vocal Grammy nomination for “Take Me Home Tonight,” which featured a cameo from Ronnie Spector.
“It is with heavy hearts that we say goodbye to our loving husband and father,” the statement said. “It’s so hard to imagine our world without him, however he will live on forever through his music.”
He announced his cancer diagnosis via a video last month from his AXS TV reality series “Real Money.” In the video, Money says he discovered he had cancer after what he thought was a routine checkup. He said the disease had spread to his liver and lymph nodes.
Money said it hit him “really, really hard.”
He had numerous health problems recently, including heart valve surgery earlier this year and pneumonia after the procedure, leading to his cancellation of a planned summer tour.
Photo of Eddie Money
FILE – In this Jan. 25, 2010 file photo, Eddie Money sings the national anthem before an NCAA college basketball game between Kansas and Missouri in Lawrence, Kan. Family members have said Eddie Money has died on Friday, Sept. 13, 2019. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)

‘Two Tickets to Paradise’ and ‘Baby Hold On’ Reached the Top 30

A New York City native born Edward Joseph Mahoney, Money grew up in a family of police officers and was training in law enforcement himself before he rebelled and decided he’d rather be a singer.
“I grew up with respect for the idea of preserving law and order, and then all of a sudden cops became pigs and it broke my heart,” Money told Rolling Stone in 1978.
“Two Tickets to Paradise” and “Baby Hold On” both reached the top 30 in the late 1970s and his self-titled debut album went platinum. In 1987, he received a best rock vocal Grammy nomination for “Take Me Home Tonight.” The song featured a cameo from Ronnie Spector, who reprised one of her signature hits from the 1960s as she crooned “Be my little baby,” which she first sang on the Ronettes’ “Be My Baby.” Money remembered calling Spector, still traumatized from her years with ex-husband-producer Phil Spector, and convincing her to sing on his record.
“I said, ‘Ronnie, I got this song that’s truly amazing and it’s a tribute to you. It would be so great if you came out and did it with me,'” he told hippopress.com in 2015. “When she got there, she didn’t even remember it; she had a mental block against (Phil) Spector. But then she came out and did the song.”
Money’s other hits included “Maybe I’m a Fool,” ”Walk On Water” and “Think I’m in Love.” He had few successes after the 1980s, but he continued to tour and record, and for decades would open the summer concert season at DTE Energy Music Theatre in Clarkston, Michigan. Meanwhile, “Two Tickets to Paradise” became a favorite on classic rock radio stations and was heard everywhere from “The Simpsons” to “The Office.” The song was also featured in a Geico commercial, with Money himself appearing in the ad as the hammy owner of a travel agency.

The Rare Rock Achievement of a Long-Term Marriage

For years, he lived too much like a rock star. In 1980, he sustained nerve damage in his legs after overdosing on alcohol and barbiturates, a near-tragedy he wrote about on his hit 1982 album “No Control.” He continued to struggle with alcohol addiction before joining a 12-step program in 2001. “I came to the realization that I didn’t really need (alcohol) for my quick wit,” he told CNN in 2003.

“We were supposed to have six dates (with the Stones), and we only worked four. The way I see it is this — if you’re gonna get fired from a Rolling Stones tour, get fired for being too good.” — Eddie Money 
Money did manage the rare rock achievement of a long-term marriage, more than 30 years to Laurie Harris, who would say that at first she confused him with John Mellencamp. The Moneys had five children, Zachary, Jessica, Joseph, Desmond, and Julian.
A born troublemaker, he was thrown out of one high school for forging his report card. He later moved to Berkeley, California, changed his name to “Money” and had enough success in the Bay Area clubs, even performing for a time with Janis Joplin’s former backing group, to attract the attention of famed rock promoter Bill Graham. Money was signed by Columbia Records and by the end of the decade was a big enough act to open for the Rolling Stones, although the job didn’t last as long as expected.
“I had a hit with ‘Two Tickets’ and everybody loved me; I was getting too many encores,” Money told hippopress.com. “We were supposed to have six dates (with the Stones), and we only worked four. The way I see it is this — if you’re gonna get fired from a Rolling Stones tour, get fired for being too good.”

DON'T MISS

What to Know About Pam Bondi, Trump’s New Pick for Attorney General

DON'T MISS

North Korean Leader Says Past Diplomacy Only Confirmed US Hostility

DON'T MISS

Democrats Strike Deal to Get More Biden Judges Confirmed Before Congress Adjourns

DON'T MISS

Newsom Gaslights on Potential Gas Price Hikes in Fresno Visit

DON'T MISS

Automakers to Trump: Please Require Us to Sell Electric Vehicles

DON'T MISS

President Biden Welcomes 2024 NBA Champion Boston Celtics to White House

DON'T MISS

Ohtani Makes History With 3rd MVP, Judge Claims 2nd AL Honor

DON'T MISS

Trump Chooses Pam Bondi for Attorney General Pick After Gaetz Withdraws

DON'T MISS

Average Rate on a 30-Year Mortgage in the US Rises to Highest Level Since July

DON'T MISS

Cutting in Line? American Airlines’ New Boarding Tech Might Stop You at Now Over 100 Airports

UP NEXT

What Will Happen to CNBC and MSNBC When They No Longer Have a Corporate Connection to NBC News?

UP NEXT

Looking for a Night Out? Bill Burr, Ralph Barbosa and West Coast Takeover Are Up Next

UP NEXT

Comcast to Spin Off Cable Networks, Once Star Performers for the Entertainment Giant

UP NEXT

Bomb Cyclone Kills 1 and Knocks Out Power to Over Half a Million Homes Across the Northwest US

UP NEXT

Volunteers Came Back to Nonprofits in 2023, After the Pandemic Tanked Participation

UP NEXT

New Study: Proposed Trump Tariffs Could Cost US Consumers $78 Billion a Year

UP NEXT

‘Tis the Season for Holiday Albums, From Jennifer Hudson to Toby Keith and Jimmy Fallon

UP NEXT

Riders Stuck in Midair for Over 2 Hours on Knott’s Berry Farm Ride

UP NEXT

Shouting Racial Slurs, Neo-Nazi Marchers Shock Ohio’s Capital

UP NEXT

More Logging Is Proposed to Help Curb Wildfires in the US Pacific Northwest

Newsom Gaslights on Potential Gas Price Hikes in Fresno Visit

5 hours ago

Automakers to Trump: Please Require Us to Sell Electric Vehicles

6 hours ago

President Biden Welcomes 2024 NBA Champion Boston Celtics to White House

6 hours ago

Ohtani Makes History With 3rd MVP, Judge Claims 2nd AL Honor

6 hours ago

Trump Chooses Pam Bondi for Attorney General Pick After Gaetz Withdraws

7 hours ago

Average Rate on a 30-Year Mortgage in the US Rises to Highest Level Since July

7 hours ago

Cutting in Line? American Airlines’ New Boarding Tech Might Stop You at Now Over 100 Airports

7 hours ago

MLB Will Test Robot Umpires at 13 Spring Training Ballparks Hosting 19 Teams

8 hours ago

Death Toll in Gaza From Israel-Hamas War Passes 44,000, Palestinian Officials Say

8 hours ago

Jussie Smollett’s Conviction in 2019 Attack on Himself Is Overturned

8 hours ago

What to Know About Pam Bondi, Trump’s New Pick for Attorney General

NEW YORK — Pam Bondi, the former Florida attorney general, was chosen Thursday by Donald Trump to serve as U.S. attorney general hours after...

4 hours ago

4 hours ago

What to Know About Pam Bondi, Trump’s New Pick for Attorney General

5 hours ago

North Korean Leader Says Past Diplomacy Only Confirmed US Hostility

5 hours ago

Democrats Strike Deal to Get More Biden Judges Confirmed Before Congress Adjourns

5 hours ago

Newsom Gaslights on Potential Gas Price Hikes in Fresno Visit

President Joe Biden with Mary Barra, the chief executive of General Motors, at the Detroit Auto Show, Sept. 14, 2022. President-elect Donald Trump has promised to erase the Biden administration’s tailpipe rules designed to get carmakers to produce electric vehicles, but most U.S. automakers want to keep them. (Doug Mills/The New York Times)
6 hours ago

Automakers to Trump: Please Require Us to Sell Electric Vehicles

6 hours ago

President Biden Welcomes 2024 NBA Champion Boston Celtics to White House

6 hours ago

Ohtani Makes History With 3rd MVP, Judge Claims 2nd AL Honor

Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives to speak at a campaign rally at First Horizon Coliseum, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in Greensboro, NC. (AP/Alex Brandon)
7 hours ago

Trump Chooses Pam Bondi for Attorney General Pick After Gaetz Withdraws

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend