Eddie Money

Name at birth: Edward Joseph Mahoney

Edward Mahoney dropped out of the police academy in New York to focus on his rock'n'roll career as Eddie Money, and his first record scored big with the hits "Baby, Hold On" and "Two Tickets to Paradise" in 1978. He went on to record hit albums through the 1980s and became a staple of classic rock radio. Music critics liked to refer to Money's music as "blue collar" rock, a niche that Eddie the New Yorker embraced with gusto. Early on he also embraced getting high, and Money overdosed in 1981. He nonetheless came back with hits for MTV like "Shakin' (1982). After his second near-overdose, Money bounced back with 1986's Can't Hold Back and his biggest hit, "Take Me Home Tonight," a duet with Ronnie Spector. Later in his career, Money was successful performing for nostalgia crowds and recording for die-hard fans, up until he was felled by esophageal cancer. Real Money, a reality-based television series featuring Money and his family, ran for two seasons, in 2018 and 2019. His albums included Eddie Money (1977), Life for the Taking (1978), No Control (1982), Nothing to Lose (1988) and Wanna Go Back (2007).