The Cars' Frontman Ric Ocasek's Sad Cause Of Death Revealed

Ric Ocasek — the singer, songwriter, and producer behind legendary New Wave act The Cars — died on Sunday, September 15th, 2019, in his New York City townhouse.

The rock maestro was found in bed and unresponsive by his estranged wife, model Paulina Porizkova. The two famously met while filming the video for The Cars' hit song "Drive."

The New York City medical examiner's office listed the prolific songwriter's death as hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, which was made worse by pulmonary emphysema. Ocasek is survived by his six children from his three marriages.

As The New York Times reports, The Cars released five platinum albums from 1978 to 1984. Some of their biggest hits include "Just What I Needed," "Shake It Up," and "You Might Think," to name just a few. In a 1979 interview with Rolling Stone, Ocasek explained that he took to songwriting shortly after dropping out of college:

"I started immediately writing; I thought that was the thing to do. [...] After I started writing songs I figured it would be good to start a band. Sometimes I’d put together a band just to hear my songs. If a person couldn’t play that well, there’d be fewer outside ideas to incorporate."

The Cars earned six Grammy nominations, including Best New Artist in 1978 — and the band was entered into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018. Although The Cars broke up before alternative rock took over in the 1990s, the band's influence can be heard in countless acts that followed: Nirvana even played The Cars' hit "My Best Friend's Girl" during their final live performance in 1994. After The Cars disbanded in 1988, Ocasek continued to make solo albums and produced music for a diverse group of musical acts including Bad Brains, Weezer, Suicide, Bad Religion, and No Doubt.

Many rock luminaries and celebrities took to social media to share their thoughts and condolences on the passing of the legendary songwriter and producer. In a Twitter post, Weezer fondly remembered Ocasek, writing:

"The weezer family is devastated by the loss of our friend and mentor Ric Ocasek, who passed away Sunday. We will miss him forever, & will forever cherish the precious times we got to work and hang out with him. Rest in Peace & rock on Ric, we love you."

Taking to Instagram, Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan wrote:

"Devastated to hear of the passing on [of] this man, Ric Ocasek. It has brightened my spirit to see how many have posted about Ric, praising his originality, flair, and brilliance. I was blessed to have known him, through friendship and work."

On Twitter, The Killers' Brandon Flowers shared an old email he wrote to Ocasek, adding in the caption:

"Feeling grateful for Ric. Had the opportunity to send him this email a couple years back. My first king. Thank you, thank you, thank you." Watch the video for more about The Cars' frontman Ric Ocasek's sad cause of death revealed.

#RicOcasek #RIPRicOcasek #TheCars

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