Ric Ocasek, The Cars
[Photo via Wikimedia Commons]

Mark Hoppus, Weezer, more pay tribute to the Cars singer Ric Ocasek

On Sunday Ric Ocasek, the lead singer of the Cars, tragically passed away at his home in New York City at the age of 75. Following the news of Ocasek’s death, fellow musicians and artists shared an outpour of love, tributes and condolences for the late singer. From Weezer to blink-182 frontman Mark Hoppus, you can see a list of tributes honoring Ocasek below.

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On top of being an incredible frontman, Ocasek was also known as an amazing producer. He worked with Weezer on their 1994 self-titled album, better known as the Blue album.

Ocasek also had a hand in producing their 2001 Green album and 2014’s Everything Will Be Alright In The End.

Last night, Weezer shared a statement in regards to Ocasek’s passing.

“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.”

Ocasek also worked with No Doubt on the band’s fifth full-length, Rock Steady, released in 2001. Both guitarist Tom Dumont and bassist Tony Kanal reflected on working with the musician.

“RIP Ric Ocasek,” Dumont tweeted. “He was responsible for so much great & inspiring music. It was an honor to have worked with him on Rock Steady. #RIPRicOcasek”

https://twitter.com/TomDumont/status/1173627646426656773

“Our hearts are heavy with the passing of this legend,” Kanal begin on Instagram next to an image of the frontman. “Ric Ocasek and his bandmates shaped American new wave and paved the way for so many of us to follow. When we were making our Rock Steady album, Ric was on our dream list of people we wanted to work with and that dream came true. He was a true gentleman and it was a real honor to spend time with him in the studio. RIP Ric. Thank you for your music. Keep Rocking For Light. Love to your band, family and friends.”

No Doubt and Weezer weren’t the only ones to pay homage to the Cars frontman. The Killers vocalist Brandon Flowers also released a statement on social media.

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Today, Hoppus released a hauntingly beautiful cover of the Cars track “Just What I Needed” via SoundCloud. You can listen to the track below.

“A couple years ago, I was asked to record a creepy cover of ‘Just What I Needed’ for a TV show,” Hoppus shares in the cover’s description. “They wanted moody and strange, dark, and drony, with space for dialogue to go over it. I went into the studio with my friend James Ingram and this is what we came up with.

“The show was cancelled so quickly the episode never aired, but if you can imagine a grim and grizzled detective determinedly working a murder case that shook them to the very core of their being, this is the music the show requested. It’s been sitting on a hard drive ever since, and with the sad news of Ric Ocasek’s passing, I thought I’d put it up here. Enjoy it. And go listen to The Cars.”

You can read more reactions from Ocasek’s passing below.

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