Ric Ocasek

Richard Theodore Otcasek (March 23, 1944 – September 15, 2019), known as Ric Ocasek, was an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and occasional actor. He was the primary vocalist, rhythm guitarist, songwriter, and frontman for the American new wave band The Cars. In addition to his work with The Cars, Ocasek recorded seven solo albums, and his song "Emotion in Motion" was a top 20 hit in the United States in 1986. Ocasek also worked as a record producer for artists such as Motion City Soundtrack, Suicide, Bad Brains, Weezer, Nada Surf, Guided by Voices, and No Doubt. In 2018, Ocasek was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Cars. Early life Ocasek was born on March 23, 1944 and he is listed as six years old and living with his parents in Baltimore on the 1950 US census. His paternal side was of Czech descent. He grew up Catholic. When he was 16 years old, his father moved the family back to the Otcasek hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, where his father worked as a systems analyst with NASA at the Lewis Research Center. He graduated from Maple Heights High School in 1963. Ocasek briefly attended Antioch College and Bowling Green State University, but dropped out to pursue a career in music.