Singer Ric Ocasek of The Cars has died at age 75
Ric Ocasek, frontman for The Cars, has died, a spokesman for the New York Police Department has confirmed. He was 75.
As NBC New York reports, the musician was found Sunday afternoon after police responded to a call of an unconscious male at a Manhattan townhouse. He was reportedly pronounced dead at the scene. Details of his cause of death have not yet been revealed.
In 2018, model Paulina Porizkova, whom Ocasek wed in 1989, revealed that the couple had been “peacefully separated for the past year.” The news came shortly after The Cars were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
![NEW YORK, NY - MAY 11: Paulina Porzikova and Ric Ocasek attend the first annual Art Students League Of NY [STartUP] Gala at Art Students League on May 11, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Taylor Hill/Getty Images for The Art Students League of New York)](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/IIHn4x3dLuHUYd2eCLcftA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTEyMDA-/https://media-mbst-pub-ue1.s3.amazonaws.com/creatr-images/2019-09/95fba920-d81d-11e9-a2f3-9d453fa0be35)
Along with the two sons shared with Porizkova — 25-year-old Jonathan and 20-year-old Oliver — Ocasek was father to four other sons, two each from his previous two marriages.
Born Richard Theodore Otcasek, the rocker also dabbled in acting, with a notable cameo in 1988’s Hairspray.
Tributes are already flooding in for the star, known for hits like “My Best Friend’s Girl,” “Good Times Roll” and “You Might Think,” which won Video of the Year in 1984 at the first MTV VMAs. (Though Ocasek was featured heavily alongside future wife Porizkova in the video for “Drive” and is credited with writing the 1984 chart-topper, The Cars bassist Benjamin Orr actually performed those vocals.)
#RickOcasek, leader of #TheCars, has died. Unbelievable. Their sound was the sound of a whole decade; biting, mischievous, lighthearted, sardonic and fun...wish we were all that young again...RIP until vinyl returns...xoxo...
— Bette Midler (@BetteMidler) September 16, 2019
RIP #RicOcasek Cars were the first band I saw that qualified as new wave -- their synths and leathers were too pricey for pure punk. Long gone, of course, and now Ric too, a sweet guy. Suicide was one of several outside bands he produced: https://t.co/9Xlu2kQFRR
— Kurt Loder (@kurt_loder) September 16, 2019
Aw, man. RIP #ricocasek and thank you for the songs on “Heartbeat City” alone. You were a true original.
— Richard Marx (@richardmarx) September 16, 2019
Ric Ocasek... I’m 😞 so sad. The Cars are a big part of my musical love affair. He was amazing and will be missed. The music of The Cars will inspire people and move people forever. My prayers go to his family friends and all the fans.
— Carnie Wilson (@CarnieWilson) September 16, 2019
I’m stunned and saddened by the loss of Ric Ocasek - he was a visionary who affected the lives and hearts of everyone who listened to music in the 80s. God Speed, Ric! Keep Moving in Stereo!
— RainnWilson (@rainnwilson) September 16, 2019
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