Ric Ocasek, lead singer of The Cars, dies at 75

Ric-Okasek-2011

He was known for his mop of black hair and black sunglasses. And now the music world is mourning the loss of The Cars lead singer and co-founder, Ric Ocasek. He died on September 15 and was 75.(Ocasek of The Cars perfoming at Lollapalooza 2011 at Grant Park in Chicago)

He was known for his mop of black hair and black sunglasses. And now the music world is mourning the loss of The Cars lead singer and co-founder, Ric Ocasek. He was 75.

A spokesman for the New York Police Department told CNN they received a call on Sunday around 4 p.m. “for an unconscious male” at a townhouse on East 19th Street.”

The Cars, who would become a staple of early MTV videos, were hugely popular in the late 1970s and early 80s with hits including My Best Friend’s Girl and Drive. The band had 13 Top 40 singles and four Top 10 LPs.

Ocasek was born on March 23, 1944, and grew up in Baltimore, Maryland. When he was 16, his family moved to Cleveland, Ohio, which would become home to The Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame. Ocasek would graduate from Maple Heights High School in 1963 and then briefly attended Antioch College and Bowling Green State University.

Ocasek met future Cars bassist Benjamin Orr in Cleveland in 1965 after Ocasek saw Orr performing with his band the Grasshoppers on the Big 5 Show, a local musical variety program. The two reconnected a few years later in Columbus, Ohio, and the two began booking bands together.

They formed a band called ID Nirvana in 1968 and performed in and around Ohio State University.

Later, the two would team up with guitarist Elliot Easton in the band Cap’n Swing. Soon after, they gained the attention of WBCN disc jockey Maxanne Sartori, who began playing songs from their demo tape on her show.

After Cap’n Swing was rejected by several record labels, Ocasek got rid of the bass player and drummer and decided to form a band that better fit his style of writing. Orr took over on bass and David Robinson joined as the drummer. Hawkes returned to play keyboards and the band became The Cars in late 1976.

“The Cars were the ultimate New Wave dream machine: a hook-savvy super-charged quintet that fused 60s pop, 70s glam and avant-rock minimalism into a decade of dashboard-radio nirvana,” the band’s biography reads on the Hall of Fame website.

It was on the ballad Drive that Ocasek met his third wife, model Paulina Porizkova. The couple was married for 28 years. Porizkova announced their separation last year, shortly after the band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

ALSO READ:Musicians want facial recognition tech banned

“I’d like to thank my loving family, because they know me pretty well but still like me anyway,” Ocasek joked during the ceremony.

As news of Ocasek’s death spread, several musicians and other celebrities posted tributes to the fallen rocker.

After The Cars broke up in 1988, Ocasek went on to produce hit albums for younger bands, including Weezer, ensuring his musical legacy will continue for generations to come

In a Rolling Stone interview, Ocasek described The Cars performance at their induction as “a good cap on the bottle” of his career, which also included painting.

“It’s kind of weird because it’s like a lifetime. It is a lifetime. I had three families during that time. They are like lives that go by and millions of people and things and artists and writers and business people and fans. … It’s a lot of stuff. It’s been a pretty eventful life, I can say.”

SOURCE: Multiple

Ric-Okasek-2011

He was known for his mop of black hair and black sunglasses. And now the music world is mourning the loss of The Cars lead singer and co-founder, Ric Ocasek. He died on September 15 and was 75.(Ocasek of The Cars perfoming at Lollapalooza 2011 at Grant Park in Chicago)

He was known for his mop of black hair and black sunglasses. And now the music world is mourning the loss of The Cars lead singer and co-founder, Ric Ocasek. He was 75.

A spokesman for the New York Police Department told CNN they received a call on Sunday around 4 p.m. “for an unconscious male” at a townhouse on East 19th Street.”

The Cars, who would become a staple of early MTV videos, were hugely popular in the late 1970s and early 80s with hits including My Best Friend’s Girl and Drive. The band had 13 Top 40 singles and four Top 10 LPs.

Ocasek was born on March 23, 1944, and grew up in Baltimore, Maryland. When he was 16, his family moved to Cleveland, Ohio, which would become home to The Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame. Ocasek would graduate from Maple Heights High School in 1963 and then briefly attended Antioch College and Bowling Green State University.

Ocasek met future Cars bassist Benjamin Orr in Cleveland in 1965 after Ocasek saw Orr performing with his band the Grasshoppers on the Big 5 Show, a local musical variety program. The two reconnected a few years later in Columbus, Ohio, and the two began booking bands together.

They formed a band called ID Nirvana in 1968 and performed in and around Ohio State University.

Later, the two would team up with guitarist Elliot Easton in the band Cap’n Swing. Soon after, they gained the attention of WBCN disc jockey Maxanne Sartori, who began playing songs from their demo tape on her show.

After Cap’n Swing was rejected by several record labels, Ocasek got rid of the bass player and drummer and decided to form a band that better fit his style of writing. Orr took over on bass and David Robinson joined as the drummer. Hawkes returned to play keyboards and the band became The Cars in late 1976.

“The Cars were the ultimate New Wave dream machine: a hook-savvy super-charged quintet that fused 60s pop, 70s glam and avant-rock minimalism into a decade of dashboard-radio nirvana,” the band’s biography reads on the Hall of Fame website.

It was on the ballad Drive that Ocasek met his third wife, model Paulina Porizkova. The couple was married for 28 years. Porizkova announced their separation last year, shortly after the band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

ALSO READ:Musicians want facial recognition tech banned

“I’d like to thank my loving family, because they know me pretty well but still like me anyway,” Ocasek joked during the ceremony.

As news of Ocasek’s death spread, several musicians and other celebrities posted tributes to the fallen rocker.

After The Cars broke up in 1988, Ocasek went on to produce hit albums for younger bands, including Weezer, ensuring his musical legacy will continue for generations to come

In a Rolling Stone interview, Ocasek described The Cars performance at their induction as “a good cap on the bottle” of his career, which also included painting.

“It’s kind of weird because it’s like a lifetime. It is a lifetime. I had three families during that time. They are like lives that go by and millions of people and things and artists and writers and business people and fans. … It’s a lot of stuff. It’s been a pretty eventful life, I can say.”

SOURCE: Multiple

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