Honoring a great. The Killers paid tribute to Ric Ocasek during their show in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on September 19, by performing The Cars’ hit “My Best Friend’s Girl.” The tribute came in the middle of their own hit song “All These Things That I’ve Done.”
Frontman Brandon Flowers has long been an enthusiastic fan of The Cars, often citing them as an influence. After Ocasek died at age 75 on September 15, The Killers’ singer shared how “grateful” he was to the legendary musician and producer by posting a personal email he sent to Ocasek years ago, which detailed how he became a fan of The Cars. “My first king,” Flowers tweeted as he expressed his gratitude. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
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
Flowers also shared what a huge fan he was of The Cars when he gave the speech at their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 2018.
“The Cars were the first band I fell in love with, and you never forget your first,” he said at the time. “The Cars had it all: the looks, the hooks, Beat-romance lyrics, killer choruses, guitar solos that pissed off your parents, dazzling music videos.”
He also praised Ocasek in his speech as “one of the world’s most enigmatic frontmen, with his cool, detached vocals—an inscrutable Dylan and Velvets fan with a very stylish jacket pocket full of power choruses.”
Multiple musicians have paid tribute to the late Cars frontman since his death, including Nada Surf‘s Matthew Caws, who penned a sweet essay, and Blink-182‘s Mark Hoppus, who shared what he called a “creepy” cover of “Just What I Needed.” Late-night host and comedian Stephen Colbert also remembered Ocasek with a touching segment on The Late Show.
According to a family statement, Ocasek was recovering well from surgery when he was found dead in his Manhattan home. The New York City medical examiner’s office ruled that his cause of death was heart disease.