The Cars frontman Ric Ocasek was found dead in his Manhattan apartment Sunday afternoon.
Ocasek died from heart disease, according to a report published by Page Six. NYPD received a call around 4 p.m. on Sunday. Ocasek was pronounced dead at the scene.
Inductee Ric Ocasek speaks onstage during the 33rd Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at Public Auditorium on April 14, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images For The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)
His age at the time of his death is unknown and has been reported as both 70 and 75, according to the NY Times. (RELATED: Musician Eddie Money Dead At 70 Years Old After Suffering From Numerous Health Problems)
The Cars became prominent in the late 1970s and early 80s during the New Wave scene of music with hits like “Just What I Needed” and “Shake It Up.” The group started in Boston and included Ocasek as lead vocalist, bassist Benjamin Orr, guitarist Elliot Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes and drummer David Robinson.
Ric Ocasek of the Cars performs during the 33rd Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at Public Auditorium on April 14, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images For The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)
Ocasek and the Cars were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2018.
“(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 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame biography reads.
The band separated in 1988, but Ocasek went solo and released solo albums.
