Ric Ocasek Bio, Wiki, Age, Wife, Kids, Suicide, Family, Net Worth, Cause of Death, Height, Weight, The Cars, Songs, Obituary and Instagram
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Ric Ocasek Bio – Ric Ocasek Wiki
Ric Ocasek born Richard Theodore Otcasek, was an American singer, songwriter, musician, poet, producer, painter, and founding member of the rock band the Cars.
He grew up in Baltimore, and his family moved to Cleveland when he was a teenager. After graduating from Maple Heights High School in 1963, he had stints at Antioch College and Bowling Green State University in the mid-1960s before dropping out to pursue music.
Ocasek met Benjamin Orr in 1965 and they formed their own first band called ID Nirvana in 1968. In the 1970s they relocated to Boston and formed bands including the folk-rock Milkwood and also played as an acoustic duo before finding their calling when they created The Cars.
Ric Ocasek The Cars
Ocasek and Benjamin Orr formed The Cars in Boston in 1976. The band became one of the most essential American bands of the late 1970s and 1980s with their fusion of new wave, 1960s pop and 1970s glam.
The first three songs on their 1978 self-titled first album were all hit singles and remain widely known classics and oldies radio airplay: “Good Times Roll,” ”My Best Friend’s Girl” and “Just What I Needed.”
They had 10 other singles in the Billboard top 40, and of their six studio albums, four were in Billboard’s top 10.
The band’s commercial peak came with 1984’s “Heartbeat City,” which featured the hit singles “You Might Think” and “Magic,” sung by Ocasek, and the atypical ballad “Drive,” sung by Orr.
The band broke up in 1988, but their influence would be deeply felt in the 1990s and beyond. Kurt Cobain and Nirvana covered “My Best Friend’s Girl” at their last live show in 1994, and Ocasek produced albums for younger bands including Weezer, No Doubt and Bad Religion.
The Cars were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2018 after being nominated twice before. During the ceremony, Ocasek paid tribute to Orr, who died in 2000 of pancreatic cancer.
Ric Ocasek Age
He was born on March 23, 1944 in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. He died on September 15, 2019 in New York City, New York. He was 75.
Ric Ocasek Wife – Ric Ocasek Wives
Ric Ocasek was married three times. He married his first wife Constance Campbell in 1963 and they divorced on 25 March 1971. The couple had 2 children. He married his second wife, Suzanne Ocasek, in 1971 and they divorced in 1989. Ocasek was still married to Suzanne when he met 18-year-old supermodel Paulina Porizkova during filming of the music video for the Cars’ song “Drive” in 1984. Ocasek and Porizkova married on August 23, 1989 on Saint-Barthélemy island. In May 2018, Porizkova announced she and Ocasek had separated a year earlier.
Ric Ocasek Paulina Porizkova Split – Is Ric Ocasek Still Married to Paulina Porizkova
On May 2, 2018, model and actress Paulina Porizkova announced in a statement on social media that she and Ocasek had separated after 28 years of marriage.
Ric Ocasek Children
Ric Ocasek had six children, two from each of his three marriages. They include Christopher Otcasek, Adam Otcasek, Eron Otcasek, Derek Otsacek, Jonathan Raven Otcasek, and Oliver Otcasek. His eldest son, Christopher, was a singer who formed the rock group Glamour Camp which released one album in 1989.
Ric Ocasek Death
Ric Ocasek was found dead in his New York City apartment on September 15, 2019. Ocasek was discovered unconscious and unresponsive in his Gramercy Park pad by his estranged wife, model Paulina Porizkova.
Following Ric Ocasek’s death, the Weezer paid tribute to Ocasek in a statement on their official Instagram account:
“The whole weezer family is devastated by the loss of our friend and mentor Ric Ocasek, who passed away Sunday. Ric meant so much to us. He produced 3 key weezer albums, Blue, Green and 2014’s “Everything…”, and taught all of us so much about music, recording and songcraft. But more importantly he taught us that one can be in a respected position of great power and yet be absolutely humble and have the biggest sweetest heart in the industry.
“Ric was so kind to us, and never faltered or changed a thing either professionally or personally in the 3 different decades we worked with him. When you were his friend, it was for life, and he was always as generous as could be with his time and care.
“He is the only producer to have worked with all 7 current and past weezer members, and all 7 love and loved working with him and hanging out with him. There is a massive hole in weezer’s heart now. We will miss him forever, and will forever cherish the precious times we got to work and hang out with him. Rest in Peace and rock on Ric, we love you.”
Ric Ocasek Cause of Death
Ric Ocasek’s cause of death was not revealed.
Ric Ocasek Height
He stood at a height of 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m).
Ric Ocasek Net Worth
Ric Ocasek’s net worth was estimated to be $25 million.
Ric Ocasek Songs
Ric Ocasek – Beatitude
- Jimmy Jimmy (Ocasek)
- Something To Grab For (Ocasek)
- Prove (Ocasek)
- I Can’t Wait (Ocasek)
- Connect Up To Me (Ocasek)
- A Quick One (Ocasek})
- Out Of Control (Ocasek/Hawkes)
- Take A Walk (Ocasek)
- Sneak Attack (Ocasek)
- Time Bomb (Ocasek)
Ric Ocasek – This Side of Paradise
- Keep On Laughing (Ocasek)
- True To You (Ocasek)
- Emotion In Motion (Ocasek)
- Look In Your Eyes (Ocasek)
- Coming For You (Ocasek)
- Mystery (Ocasek})
- True Love (Ocasek/Hawkes)
- P. F. J. (Ocasek)
- Hello Darkness (Ocasek/Hawkes)
- This Side Of Paradise (Ocasek)
Ric Ocasek – Fireball Zone
- Rockaway (Ocasek)
- Touch Down Easy (Ocasek)
- Come Back (Ocasek)
- The Way You Look Tonight (Ocasek)
- All We Need Is Love (Ocasek)
- Over And Over (Ocasek})
- Flowers Of Evil (Ocasek)
- They Tried (Ocasek)
- Keep That Dream (Ocasek)
- Balance (Ocasek)
- Mister Meaner (Ocasek)
- Fireball Zone (Ocasek)
Ric Ocasek – Quick Change World
- The Big Picture (Ocasek)
- Don’t Let Go (Ocasek)
- Hard Times (Ocasek)
- A Little Closer (Ocasek)
- Riding Shotgun (Ocasek)
- Feeling’s Got To Stay (Ocasek)
- She’s On (Ocasek)
- I Still Believe (Ocasek)
- Come Alive (Ocasek)
- Quick Change World (Ocasek)
- What’s On TV (Ocasek)
- Hopped Up (Ocasek)
- Help Me Find America (Ocasek)
Ric Ocasek – Toublizing
- The Next Right Moment (Ocasek)
- Hang On Tight (Ocasek)
- Crashland Consequence (Ocasek)
- Troublizing (Ocasek)
- Not Shocked (Ocasek)
- Situation (Ocasek})
- Fix On You (Ocasek)
- People We Know (Ocasek)
- Here We Go (Ocasek)
- Society Trance (Ocasek)
- Asia Minor (Ocasek)
Ric Ocasek – Nexterday
- Crackpot (Ocasek)
- Bottom Dollar (Ocasek)
- Don’t Lose Me (Ocasek)
- In A Little Bit (Ocasek)
- Silver (Ocasek)
- Come On (Ocasek})
- I’m Thinking (Ocasek)
- Carousel (Ocasek)
- Heard About You (Ocasek)
- Please Don’t Let Me Down (Ocasek)
- It Gets Crazy (Ocasek)