March 21, 2024, marked what would’ve been Eddie Money’s 75th birthday. The soulful rock singer, who scored such hits during the 1970s and ’80s as “Baby Hold On,” “Two Tickets to Paradise,” and “Take Me Home Tonight,” passed away from complications of cancer in September 2019. He was 70.
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Money packed a lot of life into his seven decades, with an entertainment career that, in addition to his success as a music artist, included appearances in television shows and a popular commercial.
[RELATED: Behind the Death of “Take Me Home Tonight” Singer Eddie Money]
Here are five fascinating facts about Money in honor of his milestone birthday:
Money Planned to Be a Police Officer Before Focusing on His Music Career
Money was born Edward Mahoney in Brooklyn, New York, the son of a police officer. Eddie had begun singing at a young age, and also played in bands as a teenager, but when he was 18, he decided to try and follow in his dad’s footsteps and enrolled as a New York City police trainee.
Money worked for a year or two as a clerk and typist for the police department. The singer told conflicting stories about whether he was fired or quit the job. In one version, he claimed that he left when he was asked to cut his hair, since he wanted to continue playing music and he couldn’t imagine doing that at the time with short hair.
Money was still a teenager when he moved to Berkeley, California, in 1968 to pursue music as his career.
He Had Nearly a Dozen Top-25 Hits on the Hot 100
From 1978 to 1992, Money had 11 singles that reached the top 25 of the Billboard Hot 100. His career got off to a quick start, with his self-titled debut album featuring two of his most enduring hits, “Baby Hold On” and “Two Tickets to Paradise.” Those tunes peaked at No. 11 and No. 22, respectively, on the Hot 100.
His highest-charting single on the Hot 100 was “Take Me Home Tonight,” which reached No. 4 in 1986. The tune famously features Ronnie Spector of The Ronettes singing the chorus to her group’s famous 1963 hit “Be My Baby.”
Money’s other Hot 100 hits were “Maybe I’m a Fool” (No. 22, 1979), “Think I’m In Love” (No. 16, 1982), “I Wanna Go Back” (No. 14, 1986), “Endless Nights” (No. 21, 1987), “Walk on Water” (No. 9, 1988), “The Love in Your Eyes” (No. 24, 1989), “Peace in Our Time” (No. 11, 1990), and “I’ll Get By” (No. 21, 1991).
Money Sings on the Kenny Loggins Hit “I’m Alright”
Kenny Loggins scored one of his biggest solo hits with “I’m Alright,” theme to the popular 1980 comedy flick Caddyshack. Money sings backing vocals throughout the tune, and he can be heard more prominently in the song’s break.
“I’m Alright” peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100.
He Appeared in a Geico Commercial and Some Popular TV Shows
In 2012, Money was featured in a humorous TV commercial for GEICO insurance company. In the ad, Money is shown singing “Two Tickets to Paradise” to some customers at a travel agency as he holds some airplane tickets in his hand. At the end of the commercial, a GEICO pitchman tells the viewers that people who save hundreds of dollars by switching to the insurance company are “happier than Eddie Money running a travel agency.”
Money also played fictionalized versions of himself on episodes of The Drew Carey Show, The King of Queens, and The Kominsky Method.
Money Was Starring in a Reality Series with His Family at the Time of His Death
From 2018 to 2019, Money, his second wife, Laurie, and his five children were featured in the AXS TV reality series Real Money.
During the second season, which aired in 2019, Money was diagnosed with stage 4 esophageal cancer. On the final show, Money poignantly renewed his wedding vows with his wife. The rocker passed away one day after the episode premiered.
