Ric Ocasek (born Richard Theodore Otcasek on March 23, 1944, in Baltimore, Maryland; died September 15, 2019, in New York City) was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He became best known as the principal songwriter, lead vocalist, and rhythm guitarist of the Cars, whose precise blend of rock, power pop, new wave, and synthesizer-driven arrangements made them one of the defining American bands of the late 1970s and 1980s.
Ocasek developed his interest in music as a teenager, drawing inspiration from early rock and roll as well as the more experimental sounds of the Velvet Underground, Roxy Music, and the Modern Lovers. In the early 1970s, he moved to Boston and formed Milkwood with Benjamin Orr, a longtime musical collaborator. Milkwood released the album *How's the Weather* in 1973, but the record made little impact. Ocasek and Orr continued working together, passing through short-lived groups before forming the Cars in 1976 with Elliot Easton, Greg Hawkes, and David Robinson.
The Cars' self-titled debut album, released in 1978, established Ocasek as a distinctive songwriter with an economical, often detached vocal style. The record combined sharp guitar hooks, cool electronic textures, and concise pop structures. Songs such as "Just What I Needed," "My Best Friend's Girl," and "Good Times Roll" gave the group immediate success. Ocasek wrote most of the band's material, while Orr provided a contrasting vocal presence on songs including "Drive" and "Let's Go."
The Cars followed their debut with *Candy-O* (1979), *Panorama* (1980), *Shake It Up* (1981), and *Heartbeat City* (1984). The latter became their commercial peak, helped by the singles "You Might Think," "Magic," "Hello Again," and "Drive," as well as heavily played music videos on MTV. "You Might Think" won the first MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year. The band's final original studio album, *Door to Door*, appeared in 1987, and the group separated the following year.
Ocasek also maintained a solo career. His first album, *Beatitude* (1982), presented a more minimal and electronic version of the sound associated with the Cars. He later released *This Side of Paradise* (1986), *Fireball Zone* (1990), *Quick Change World* (1993), *Negative Theater* (1993), *Getchertikitz* (1996), a collaboration with Suicide's Alan Vega, *Troublizing* (1997), and *Nexterday* (2005). His most successful solo single was "Emotion in Motion."
As a producer, Ocasek worked across a broad range of rock and alternative music. His credits included Suicide, Romeo Void, Bad Brains, Iggy Pop, Bad Religion, Hole, Guided by Voices, Nada Surf, and Weezer. His production of Weezer's 1994 debut album helped introduce the band to a wide audience, and he later produced their 2001 self-titled album as well.
The Cars reunited with their surviving original members for *Move Like This* in 2011, their first album in more than two decades. In 2018, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Ocasek's legacy rests both on the Cars' durable catalog and on his role as a bridge between mainstream rock, new wave, and alternative music.