Ric Ocasek, From 80's New Wave Band The Cars Has Died
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
(CNN)Ric Ocasek, lead singer of the new wave rock band The Cars, died Sunday in New York City, police said. He was 75.
The New York Police Department received a call around 4 p.m. "for an unconscious male" at a townhouse on East 19th Street, the Office of the Deputy Commissioner, Public Information told CNN.
Ocasek, whose identity was confirmed by police, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Cars became hugely popular in the late 1970s and early 80s with hits including "My Best Friend's Girl" and "Drive."
The Cars were a mainstay of MTV in its early days. Their video for "Double Life" was the 21st video ever played on the new cable channel, according to VH1 .
Ocasek married supermodel Paulina Porizkova after the two met while shooting the video for 1984's "Drive." The couple last year announced their separation . They had two children together.
He was known for his mop of black hair and black sunglasses, which featured in many of the band's videos, including "You Might Think" in 1984.
"(T)he 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.
The band had 13 Top 40 singles and four Top 10 LPs, according to the biography.
Ocasek founded the group in 1976, the biography said.
A demo tape of one of the band's first songs, "Just What I Needed," was so popular on two Boston radio stations that the band caught the attention of record companies, according to a Contemporary Musicians biography .
Ocasek was the band's main song writer and also played rhythm guitar.
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RIP. LIked their music a lot.
Ocasek did not sing lead on Drive , but he did write the song.
Ocasek married Paulina Porizkova . the model in this iconic video.
This is my favorite Car's song
They certainly didn't have a wide audience and I wasn't part of it, but John if they made you happy, they deserve to be remembered. "It's all I can do."
Vic, I was not a new waver. I have often posted obit type articles when celebrities die.
I do like the two songs I posted videos for here though.
I'm with ya. Music took on a lot of new directions in the late 60's & early 70's - they are what I would classify as noise.
What is a new waver? No offense but they were kind of a middle of the road rock and roll band.
They were a good band but not so much so on stage. I saw them back in the day and I was not impressed. They basically just sang their songs. Didn't really speak to the audience or anything.
I was always a fan of their music and still am.
Of course they had a wide audience and they were popular in the late 70's and 80's.
To each their own.
I liked them but then again i listen to everything from Classical to Punk Rock back then. Still do with the stuff i like.
And they were VERY popular back in the late 70's and early 80's. Very popular.
They were clearly classified as a "New Wave, Rock n Roll" fusion band.
That said i saw them once and agree. They did not put on a very good show at the concert i saw either.
This is sad. One of my favorite things to do is blast my radio and sing at the top of my voice whenever a Car's song comes on.
One of my favorite groups. RIP, Mr. Ocasek
When I gave my old clunker car away a few years back I forgot that I had the Best of the Cars in my CD player.
I loved to sign this one out loud whenever it was on my CD player or on the radio.
Let them leave you up in the air
Let them brush your rock and roll hair
I loved Benjamin Orr. He did the vocals on most songs.
Another favorite
The Cars, that was a great Album.
RIP Rick, your band brought a lot of enjoyment to many of us.
Still does ....
Let the Good Times Roll
up a fatty
According to a news report this am, he died from natural causes.
at 75 and lived the life of a rockstar
imppossible i sae
"Shake it up", first CD I ever owned.