Singer Eddie Money announced that he has stage 4 esophageal cancer

Singer-songwriter Eddie Money recently announced he’s been diagnosed with stage 4 esophageal cancer.

Brooklyn-born Money, 70, whose real name is Edward Mahoney, is best known for his ’70s and ’80s hits, including “Baby Hold On,” “Take Me Home Tonight” and “Two Tickets to Paradise.”

Money and his wife of three decades, Laurie, have five children in the music industry, several of whom now tour and perform with their dad. (Two of them, Jesse and Desmond, are pictured below.)

The family is also working on the second season of their reality show “Real Money” on AXS TV.

It was on a preview for the new season of “Real Money” that Money made the cancer announcement.

“It hit me really really hard,” he said in a clip, as he and Laurie explained the cancer has spread from his esophagus — the tube connecting your throat to your stomach — to his lymph nodes, liver and part of his stomach. “I have a tendency to feel sorry for myself.”

But he added on a positive note, “We’re going to get around the corner and beat this thing.”

Here’s the preview, from AXS TV:

“Eddie and The Money Family are so very grateful for your kind words, well wishes and prayers,” read a team comment on a Facebook post sharing a Rolling Stones article about Money’s diagnosis. “We’re reading the comments from this post with him now. His spirit is lifted by the outpouring of love from so many. We all appreciate the love and compassion that is being expressed for him and the family. We thank you so much for all of your comments letting us know how much Eddie and his music mean to you.”

Symptoms of esophageal cancer include trouble swallowing, chest pain, weight loss, hoarseness, chronic cough, vomiting, hiccups, bone pain, and bleeding into the esophagus which may end up in stool or cause anemia and fatigue, according to the American Cancer Society.

“Unfortunately, most esophageal cancers do not cause symptoms until they have reached an advanced stage, when they are harder to treat,” the ACS page notes.

Some potential risk factors for this type of cancer include a history of alcohol and tobacco use. Money has gone on the record about his previous history of alcohol addiction though he’s been sober for close to a decade.

The survival rate for stage 4 esophageal cancer varies depending on how widespread the cancer is but estimates put the 5-year survival rate at between 5-24%. Treatment is largely centered on containing the cancer and prolonging a patient’s life.

The episode of “Real Money” where Money and his family reveal his cancer diagnosis will air on Sept. 12 at 9:30 p.m. ET on AXS TV.

“What I don’t want to do is I don’t want to keep the fact that I have cancer from everybody,” Money said in the preview for the episode. “It’s not honest. I want to be honest with everybody. I want people to know that cancer [treatment] has come a long way and not everybody 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.”