Eddie Money<\/strong><\/a> \u2014 the \u201970s and \u201980s hitmaker known for \u201cTake Me Home Tonight\u201d and \u201cBaby Hold On\u201d \u2014 has died \u2026 TMZ has confirmed.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n The singer died Friday following complications from stage 4 esophageal cancer. His family said, \u201cThe Money Family regrets to announce that Eddie passed away peacefully early this morning. 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Eddie made the stunning revelation<\/strong><\/a> about his diagnosis during season 2 of his reality show, \u201cReal Money.\u201d As we reported \u2026 Eddie got the heartbreaking news late last year during a routine checkup with doctors.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n\n It didn\u2019t look good at that point \u2026 the cancer started in Eddie\u2019s esophagus but spread to other parts of his body. He\u2019d been battling health scares for some time now. You\u2019ll recall he was forced to take a break from the road for other health issues \u2014 a minor heart valve procedure<\/strong><\/a> in May and he also caught pneumonia<\/strong><\/a> in July, but neither issue was related to the cancer.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Eddie \u2014 born Edward Joseph Mahoney \u2014 was born in Brooklyn. He came from a long line of family members who served with the NYPD. He himself was on the force for 2 years \u2026 before ditching NYC in 1968 for California to fulfill his lifelong dream of becoming a rock star.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Money worked the local clubs in Berkeley before he was signed to Columbia Records in 1976. His self-titled debut album earned double-platinum success. The album also included some of his classic hits \u2026 including \u201cTwo Tickets to Paradise.\u201d His career spanned more than 4 decades and he sold over 28 million records.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n