Rocker Eddie Money has been diagnosed with cancer.
The 70-year-old musician (né Edward Mahoney) revealed his diagnosis in a clip from his reality television series Real Money.
“I thought I was just going in to get a checkup and [the doctor] told me that I got cancer,” Money says in the clip.
“He’s been diagnosed with stage 4 esophageal cancer,” his wife Laurie adds, noting that the cancer has also “spread to his liver.”
Opening up about the moment he got the news, Money says that “it hit me really, really hard.”
“What I don’t want to do is, I don’t want to keep the fact that I have cancer from everybody,” Money continues. “It’s not honest. I want to be honest with everybody. I want people to know that cancer’s come a long way and not everyone dies from cancer, like they did in the ‘50s and ‘60s. Am I going to live a long time? Who knows. It’s in God’s hands. But you know what, I’ll take every day I can get. Every day above ground is a good day.”
Money received his diagnosis last fall while filming for the second season of his AXS TV reality series, according to a news release from the show. The final six episodes of the season will focus on the singer’s cancer and how his family is dealing with the diagnosis.
The news was announced as the musician continues to recover from unrelated complications following a recent heart valve procedure.
TMZ was the first to report the news.
Money announced that he would be undergoing heart valve surgery in May.
“Hey everyone — I will be undergoing a minor, minimally invasive heart valve surgery this week,” he wrote in a since-deleted Instagram post. “I appreciate your thoughts and prayers. I look forward to getting back on stage and rockin’ with you all!”
A longer post shared to his website explained that Money’s doctors recommended the procedure after he experienced shortness of breath.
“The procedure is scheduled for this week while Money has a break in his concert dates,” the post explained, adding that he expected to be back on the stage in mid-June.
Money went on to cancel the rest of his summer tour dates in July after developing pneumonia.
“Eddie Money developed pneumonia while in the hospital after his heart valve procedure,”a representative for Money said in a statement to Ultimate Classic Rock. “He is now on the mend, but, unfortunately, he had to cancel his summer concerts – a first for him in his 40-plus year career. He needed this extra time to fully rest and recuperate. Eddie hopes to be back later this year.”
Money rose to fame in the 1970s and 80s with hit songs like “Two Tickets to Paradise,” “Walk on Water” and “Baby Hold On.” He is also the star of Real Money, a reality show that follows the daily lives of the musician, his wife Laurie and their five children.
A special episode of Real Money, which will address Money’s diagnosis in depth, will air on AXS TV on Thursday, Sept. 12 at 9:30 ET.
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