Ric Ocasek, lead singer of The Cars, dies at 75

The singer was one of the biggest acts of the 1980s.

September 15, 2019, 9:02 PM

Ric Ocasek, whose sound was synonymous with the late 1970s and '80s as lead singer of the band The Cars, has died. He was 75 years old.

Ocasek was born in Baltimore, but spent much of his time as a young adult in the Midwest, attending college at Antioch College and Bowling Green State University before he met future Cars bandmate bassist Benjamin Orr. The two would eventually add guitarist Elliot Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes and drummer David Robinson to round out The Cars.

The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, the same city where Ocasek met Orr, in 2018.

Ocasek's death was confirmed to ABC News by the New York Police Department. He was found unconscious and unresponsive in bed at his home on 19th Street in the city on Sunday afternoon.

A cause of death has not yet been determined.

Two law enforcement officials told ABC News preliminary indications are Ocasek died of natural causes.

PHOTO: Musician Ric Ocasek attends the 25th anniversary MusiCares 2015 Person Of The Year Gala honoring Bob Dylan at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Feb. 6, 2015, in Los Angeles.
Musician Ric Ocasek attends the 25th anniversary MusiCares 2015 Person Of The Year Gala honoring Bob Dylan at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Feb. 6, 2015, in Los Angeles.
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

The Cars sold tens of millions of records before they disbanded in 1988. Their first five albums all went platinum.

The band is known for hits like "My Best Friend's Girl," "Just What I Needed" and "Good Times Roll."

He also worked as a producer, often for up-and-coming alternative rock bands, like Weezer, Guided by Voices and Bad Brains.

The singer was also married to supermodel Paulina Porizkova since 1989, before getting divorced last year. The pair has two kids.

ABC News' Josh Margolin contributed to this report.