Ric Ocasek, the lead singer/rhythm guitarist/songwriter for the Cars, passed away on Sunday, September 15, 2019. His death was confirmed by New York City police. He was 75 years old.
In addition to being a musician, Ocasek was also a record producer and painter. As part of the Cars, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018.
Ocasek grew up in Baltimore, Maryland then moved to Cleveland, Ohio during his later teen years. He met future Cars bassist Benjamin Orr in Cleveland in 1968 and a few years later they started the band ID Nirvana, performing at and around Ohio State University. The pair played in several bands in the Columbus, Ohio and Ann Arbor, Michigan areas, then relocated to Boston in the early ’70s.
After a few band formations, the Cars were born in 1976 with Ocasek, Orr on bass, David Robinson on drums, Elliot Easton on lead guitar, and Greg Hawkes on keyboards. They were instrumental in the New Wave style of guitar rock mixed with synthesizer-focused pop that became popular in the early ’80s. The amalgamation of their sound has been described as punk minimalism, creative synthesizer, pop rock, and a little rockabilly.
In June 1978, they released their first album, The Cars, featuring major hits like “Just What I Needed,” “My Best Friend’s Girl,” and “Good Times Roll.” Their second album, Candy-O, followed a year later with songs like “Let’s Go,” “It’s All I Can Do,” and “Double Life.” The Cars followed this with the more experimental Panorama, featuring “Touch and Go” in 1980. A year later, their fourth album, Shake It Up, took a more commercial sound, led by the title track and “Since You’re Gone.”
After a short break for solo projects (in which Ocasek cut Beatitude), they reunited for Heartbeat City in 1984, with hit singles like “You Might Think,” “Magic,” “Hello Again,” and the most successful single, “Drive.” Following another break for solo projects, Ocasek cut his second album This Side of Paradise. When the Cars sixth album Door to Door failed to meet previous success, the band broke up in February 1988.
Ocasek released a few more solo albums throughout the ’90s and into the mid-2000s. Seeking other artistic pursuits, he also wrote a book of poetry in 1993 and had a number of paintings in a national exhibit tour in 2018.
