Ric Ocasek Net Worth: As a co-lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, songwriter, and frontman for the rock band the Cars, Ric Ocasek was a prominent figure in the American music scene and in the recording industry.
He is credited with helping to pioneer the new wave of rock in the late 1970s alongside bandmates Elliot Easton (lead guitar), Greg Hawkes (keyboards), Benjamin Orr (bass guitar), and David Robinson (drums). A number of radio hits were recorded for their seven studio albums.
Seven additional studio albums including tracks like “Emotion in Motion” have been published under his own name. 2018 saw his and his band’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Ric Ocasek Early Life
On March 23, 1944, Richard Theodore “Ric” Otcasek was born in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. However, he spent the majority of his childhood in Cleveland, Ohio, after his family moved there when he was 16 years old.
His mother was of Irish and Welsh descent, while his father was a NASA systems analyst from the Czech Republic who was stationed at Lewis. You may also read Tim Allen’s Net Worth
After finishing high school in 1963, he went on to Maple Heights High. Antioch College and Bowling Green State University were among the institutions he attended before he decided to pursue music full-time.
Ric Ocasek Career
When Ric Ocasek and the Grasshoppers were featured on Cleveland’s Big 5 Show in 1965, he met future bandmate, Benjamin Orr. After parting ways for some time, they reunited in Columbus, Ohio, where they played in a number of bands until settling on ID Nirvana (1968).
After relocating to Boston in the early 1970s, the duo created Milkwood, a folk rock band in the vein of Crosby, Stills, and Nash. They recorded and released a single album, How’s the Weather, on Paramount Records in early 1973. The record was produced by Greg Hawkes, who later became a member of the duo on keyboards for their hit album Cars.
#NowPlaying Emotion in Motion by Ric Ocasek – listen live @ https://t.co/E4FD8l3htc #80smusic #twittermusic #80s pic.twitter.com/V5f6UIVAjO
— 80s Radio Man (@80sRadioMan) November 13, 2022
He and Orr maintained their acoustic duet performances alongside their regular careers before joining forces with Hawkes to form the band Richard and the Rabbits. After recruiting guitarist Elliot Easton, the pair became known to WBCN DJ Maxanne Sartori, who frequently featured tracks from the band’s demo tape on her show.
After the failure of Cap’n Swing to gain any traction with record labels, Ocasek and Hawkes formed a new band in late 1976 named the Cars, in which Ocasek could better express his musical vision through songwriting. He got rid of the band’s bassist and drummer and replaced them with Orr (who also played bass) and David Robinson (who played drums in the rock band the Modern Lovers).
In the 1970s, both Ocasek and Orr contributed vocals and composition credits to their songs, but by the 1980s, Ocasek had taken over as the band’s primary songwriter, with occasional contributions from Hawkes. Since Hawkes wasn’t able to join the group until February 1977, they did their first official gig on December 31, 1976, at Pease Air Force Base in New Hampshire with Danny Schliftman on keyboards.
In early 1977, with Hawkes on board, the Cars played shows across New England, debut album material among the songs sung. In particular, the song “Just What I Needed” was played often on Boston radio stations, leading to record negotiations with both Arista Records and Elektra Records; the band ultimately chose to sign with “Elektra Records.”
The Cars’ self-titled debut album was released in June 1978, with the lead single Just What I Needed. The album peaked at No.18 on the Billboard 200. Even though their experimental third album Panorama (1980) reached No.5 in America, it failed to excite critics. This was despite the fact that it had been a bigger success commercially than their previous studio album, Candy-O (1979), which had peaked at No.3.
His debut solo album, Beatitude (1982), was an experimental take on the Cars’ new wave rock sound and came out after the band’s financially successful fourth album, Shake It Up (1981). In 1984, he and his bandmates released Heartbeat City, their most successful album to date. In 1986, he released This Side of Paradise, a more synthesizer-heavy solo record. Apart From this, you can check out other trending articles Jay Leno’s Net Worth
They announced their breakup in February 1988, shortly after the release of their sixth studio album, Door to Door (1987). He then took a little pause before releasing his third solo album, Fireball Zone, in 1991. After reconnecting with the Cars for Move Like This, he continued to make solo albums such as Quick Change World (1993), Negative Theater (1993), Troublizing (1997), and Yesterday (2005). (2011).
Producer Ric Ocasek worked with a number of promising acts, including Motion City Soundtrack, Suicide, Bad Brains, Weezer, Nada Surf, Guided by Voices, and No Doubt. In addition to his many media appearances, he has published a poetry collection titled Negative Theatre (1993), sponsored an exhibition titled “Tea head Scraps” in Columbus, Ohio (2009), and appeared in numerous films in supporting parts.
Ric Ocasek Personal Life
With his first wife, Constance Campbell, Ric Ocasek had two kids, Christopher and Adam, before divorcing on March 25, 1971. His son Christopher is a musician and singer who started the band Glamour Camp and had a solo role in Pretty Woman (1990).
Suzanne LaPointe, his second wife, married him for 17 years between 1971 and 1988 and took his last name under its original spelling, “Ocasek.” Eron, the second of his three children with her, is an actor, singer, and editor who has appeared in such films as Roommates (2001), School of Rock (2003,), and 13 Going on 30 (1998). (2004).
In 1984, while still married to Suzanne, he met Czech supermodel Paulina Porizkova, then 19 years old, on the set of a music video. They eventually tied the knot in August 1989, after Suzanne’s death. He now has three sons thanks to his third wife: Jonathan Raven, and Oliver.
Paulina Porizkova Recalls Finding Ex Ric Ocasek Deadhttps://t.co/v0vvBNP8N2
— PopCulture.com (@PopCulture) November 16, 2022
After the band broke up, he and Benjamin Orr, a longtime friend and bandmate, drifted apart. They made up just before Orr passed away in 2000, and Silver, off of his seventh and final album Yesterday, is dedicated to his memory.
Paulina, his third wife, confirmed in May 2018 that she and he had split the previous year and were going through the divorce process. Having battled hypertensive heart disease and coronary artery disease, Ocasek was discovered dead in his New York City home on September 15, 2019. He was laid to rest in Millbrook, New York’s Nine Partners Cemetery.
Ric Ocasek Net Worth
After his death in 2019, American musician and record producer Ric Ocasek was valued at $40 million. That’s how much he and his wife of 30 years, supermodel Paulina Porizkova, are worth collectively.
However, it should be emphasised that Ric’s will indicated after his death that he did not want Paulina to have any ownership interest in his personal assets outside of the marriage.
How Old Was Ric Ocasek When He Married Paulina?
Porizkova is best known for her marriage to Ric Ocasek, lead singer of The Cars, at the age of 24. This year, Porizkova discovered Ocasek dead in their New York City townhouse at the age of 75. The next day, she learned that he had entirely disinherited her.
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