Ric Ocasek, the beloved producer, solo artist, and frontman of the Cars, passed away this weekend at the age of 75. Tributes to Ocasek, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year along with the Cars, have poured out from a wide variety of musician and celebrity fans. Notably, Weezer, whose seminal “Blue” and “Green” albums were produced by Ocasek, posted a note to Twitter. “We will miss him forever, & will forever cherish the precious times we got to work and hang out with him. Rest in Peace & rock on Ric, we love you,” the band wrote. Other tribute came from other friends and collaborators including Nile Rodgers and Thomas Dolby, and from plenty from fans of the band like The Killers’ Brandon Flowers, Courtney Love, Slash, The Hold Steady, Billy Idol, Carl Newman, and more. Below, we’ve collected some of those tributes to the songwriter and producer; this post may be updated as more react to the news.
Feeling grateful for Ric. Had the opportunity to send him this email a couple years back. My first king. Thank you, thank you, thank you. pic.twitter.com/h4u8CXDhRg
— The Killers (@thekillers) September 16, 2019
The weezer family is devastated by the loss of our friend and mentor Ric Ocasek, who passed away Sunday. We will miss him forever, & will forever cherish the precious times we got to work and hang out with him. Rest in Peace & rock on Ric, we love you. #RIPRicOcasek #karlscorner pic.twitter.com/JcTXevr6V8
— weezer (@Weezer) September 16, 2019
#ripricocasek We had a lot of fun making the album #FireballZone. This was one of my fav songs #TouchdownEasy. Though it was the 90's we'd not gotten the memo. It's super 80's but cool. https://t.co/ptSdrIHqBA pic.twitter.com/vGL1odM0TL
— Nile Rodgers (@nilerodgers) September 16, 2019
Our walkout: “Since You’re Gone”.
RIP Ric Ocasek pic.twitter.com/si1DI7HtOT
— The Hold Steady (@theholdsteady) September 16, 2019
I will never stop imitating the first Cars album. His influence will always stay with me. RIP and Thank You to Ric Ocasek.
— @ACNewman (@ACNewman) September 16, 2019
RIP Ric Ocasek. Great songwriter and singer for the Cars #RIPRicOcasek
— Bryan Adams (@bryanadams) September 16, 2019
https://twitter.com/therealelp/status/1173414099012767744?s=20
The first Cars album is literally perfect; there might not be a better debut ever. The rest of the catalog is untouchable.
Ric Ocasek was the architect. Nobody could combine pop hits with straight up weirdness like he could.
What a body of work, what a cool guy. Rest in power.
— scharpling (@scharpling) September 16, 2019
I’m stunned and saddened by the loss of Ric Ocasek – he was a visionary who affected the lives and hearts of everyone who listened to music in the 80s. God Speed, Ric! Keep Moving in Stereo!
— RainnWilson (@rainnwilson) September 16, 2019
R.I.P. Ric Ocasek, lead singer with The Cars, at 75. A very cool cat. He was the first person to hear my album The Flat Earth from start to finish, in Mutt Lange's house in Chelsea.
— Thomas Dolby (@ThomasDolby) September 16, 2019
RIP Ric Ocasek. A very sad loss. My condolences to his family. https://t.co/0KXmMC0qEi
— Paul Stanley (@PaulStanleyLive) September 16, 2019