THE FUNNY MONEY MAN

The first thing this morning, (9-13-19) (Friday the 13th), I see tons of my friends sending their thoughts, pictures, and remembrances of Eddie Money who died this morning at his Los Angeles home at the age of 70. Then I read the announcement posted by Eddie’s family on Facebook and Instagram:

“The 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.”

Here are a few of my many memories of Edward Joseph Mahony, known to the world as EDDIE MONEY.

One day back in 1977, Bill Graham called me at KMEL 106, (Known as “The KAMEL” back in the day) and asked me if he could bring over and introduce someone that he was going to begin managing.  It was Eddie Money.  When they arrived I took them into Rick Lee’s, the general manager’s office and soon the room was full of station DJ’s and staffers to see what was going on.  In Bill’s intro I remember him telling us that Eddie had recently been a New York cop but that he had rescued him and he was turning him into a rock star.  We listened to a test pressing of his first record and we all became believers on the spot.

Eddie Money did everything to the limit.  He was a real funny guy to hang with.  I called him “Funny Money“.  He was definitely a unique personality with lots of great talent.  The San Francisco Bay Area Music community lost another one of the people that kept our city in the national spotlight for so many years.

Eddie was up for pretty much everything.  When he told me that he was getting married on Valentine’s Day I asked him if KMEL could broadcast the ceremony? Of course the answer was “Hell yes!“)  When Eddie was saying his wedding vows he cracked up the entire church when he said, “In sickness and in health, with Top 40 ads or no top 40 adds, I vow to make you happy, to make you laugh, and to always be there for you.”   

We’re going to really miss “The Money Man.”

Kenny Wardell