Talk:Ric Ocasek

Saturday Night Live appearance

Does his walking off the show during filming because he got tired of people making jokes about his name qualify for inclusion or not? Badbilltucker 19:42, 28 September 2006 (UTC)

I think it's notable enough for a mention.--Twintone 19:43, 28 September 2006 (UTC)

The Killers?

I can find no mention of Ric having been involved with any of The Killers' music. The only mention of any relation at all between them is an interview where the Killers' frontman mentions The Cars as having been a huge influence on his music. None of their albums mention Ric as having produced any of their work. I suspect that they are mentioned in error. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 210.84.39.125 (talk) 12:49, 4 February 2009 (UTC)

Fangoria?

"Ocasek was also an editor and major contributor to the magazine Fangoria, a cult horror b-movie fanzine." This is vandalism. The Cars were releasing records well before Fangoria first appeared in 1979, so if Ocasek was editimg or even contributing to the magazine, there'd be some documentation of it somewhere.

There is none. Bustter (talk) 22:20, 13 March 2009 (UTC)

I tried to track it back to the original vandal and found that until a few mnths ago the name of the magazine was "fantagoria" which does not even exist. Someone "corrected" the spelling without verifyingBustter (talk) 22:39, 13 March 2009 (UTC)

File:OcasekColbert.JPG Nominated for speedy Deletion

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What happened to this article? "RICK and the Rabbits"? Really? Seriously? When did THIS happen?

It predates Wikipedia, predates the Internet as we know it today: Cars fanatics who read books like Frozen Fire or just about any old "rock encyclopedia", as used to be published frequently . . . It was Richard and the Rabbits, a name suggested by Jonathan Richman. Not "Rick and the Rabbits".

If I understand correctly, on the Milkwood album credits he went by "Richard Otcasek", and never "Rick" with a k.

The Wikipedia article for The Cars already reads "After Milkwood, Ocasek and Orr formed the group Richard and the Rabbits, whose name was suggested by Jonathan Richman."

So, I'm putting that in here.

At the moment, the only online source I've found is a LinkedIn page for . . . Oh, what was that guy's name . . . You know who I'm-- GREG HAWKES. Greg Hawkes lists his tenure in Richard and the Rabbits on his LinkedIn Page.

I suppose somebody's going to tell me that isn't really Greg's LinkedIn page, but for the moment, I'm going to believe in it, use it, and change the article.

Changing it to "Rick", in the first place, was the sort of thing that required a source, and a word or two here explaining it. --50.11.49.92 (talk) 02:58, 29 November 2012 (UTC)
Sorry, this was me. --Ben Culture (talk) 03:07, 29 November 2012 (UTC)

Sexuality

All references to Ric Ocasek as a bisexual man have been purged from the article by one user (I see no discussion of it on this Talk page), who said in his edit summary,

(ric ocasek has never publicly said to any news organization or anybody else that he is bisexual. nndb.com is a gossip site and not to be trusted as actual facts.)

First of all, even publications like TIME and Entertainment Weekly have their utterly-untrustworthy moments. See here and here. I'm no stranger to seeing journalists put words in people's mouths and extract factoids from them. And that makes me angry.

However, it looks to me like this nndb.com is getting its facts right, and trying to reassure its readers of it. They DO have a quotation and a source, you know. The article's only footnote reads:

[1] Profile '86 radio interview, broadcast 1986 on NBC Radio: "I like beautiful women. Tall, thin, beautiful women. Fat little ugly women. I like all kinds of women. I'm always attracted to the opposite sex. I'm attracted to both sexes, actually. But not only beautiful men -- I think I like weird men."

I don't know about anyone else, but I am inclined to believe that. Why make up a quotation out of whole cloth? And an actual source? And HOW were they able to make one up that sounds just like something Ric Ocasek WOULD say? At some point, you have to ask yourself, what's more believable: That nndb.com would make up such a thing, in SUCH a perfunctory, NON-malicious tone, and cite a false source -- OR that a beautiful-weirdo poet/artist/rock star who has incredible wealth and fame would fuck around with a few guys for the sheer hell of it?

I mean, if it's good enough for John Lennon (OH! I'm sorry, you didn't know?) it's surely good enough for Ric. Actually, I should probably have said "Lou Reed" instead of "John Lennon", who allegedly only had the gay sex once (yes, of course it was with Brian Epstein), whereas Reed spent whole years living with a transgender, and declared himself "a gay man head to foot" (right up until he married Sylvia, and the two of them attempted to sanitize his sexual history). It's certaintly a known fact that Ocasek's a Velvet Underground/Lou Reed fan. Anyway.

I think they're telling the truth. They're quoting a radio show. I'm going to look into this, and if I find what I think I'll find, the article will be changing again.

For those who feel Ric has been "accused" of something, has been "insulted" -- you need to look at yourself and work on your perhaps-unconscious-and-unintended bigotry. --Ben Culture (talk) 03:50, 29 November 2012 (UTC)

It's doubtful that this would be accepted as a reputable source, but I've actually found the interview where he says this quote on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ci7z6_auVQA. NNDB's quote is correct except for the end - he seems to say "I don't like beautiful men, I think I like weird men." But apart from that, it's good. Does it count for anything if it's an interview on YouTube? SlightlyMad^{wanna si-ign?} 01:46, 10 June 2013 (UTC)

BOOK

Ric Ocasek has put out a book titled Lyrics and Prose. I don't know where or how to put this information into the article. Perhaps there was a press release or something?

--Ben Culture (talk) 15:22, 31 January 2013 (UTC)

Polish/Czech descent?

I understand that there has been some confusion recently, especially with a number of edits, about Ric's heritage. The article currently lists his father as being of Polish descent, when in fact, Ocasek is of Czech origins. Here are a number of sources which point to this being true:

1. [1] -- "On the set of Drive she met Ric Ocasek, also of Czech orgin."
2. [2] -- "Race or Ethnicity: Czech"
3. [3] -- "Ric Ocasek (born Richard T Otcasek on March 23, 1949) is an American of Czech heritage, musician, and music producer."

I believe these sources should serve as sufficient evidence. The source currently cited (People Magazine, http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20074338,00.html While Much of the New Wave Goes Dry, Studio Whiz Ric Ocasek Has His Band, the Cars, Running on Full) could have easily simply made a mistake when researching him. In any case, I believe the repeated attempts to clarify this were not acts of vandalism or ethnically motivated, but rather repeated attempts to correct an error and going about it using the wrong methods. Hopefully, this will serve to finally resolve the issue. 67.244.15.134 (talk) 03:49, 26 September 2013 (UTC)

None of those look like particularly reliable sources. Infact the 2nd reference simply got its data from Wikipedia, and the 3rd reference simply pulls from Wikipedia and another wikipedia-like edited database. Either way, the reference doesn't say that Ric's father is of Polish descent, it says he was Polish born. He can be both Polish-born and be of Czech descent. The two are not mutually exclusive. Centerone (talk) 04:47, 26 September 2013 (UTC)

Since there are conflicting sources on this subject, perhaps it would be better to just remove any reference to ethnicity for now. Ethnicity doesn't seem to be particularly pertinent to Ocasek's career as a recording artist, for which he is notable, anyway. The lead section also contains other inconsequential information about schools attended which could be disposed of or moved a biography section of the article.

If ethnicity were to be mentioned in the body of the article, there is a better source than People magazine. In a Rolling Stone article by Jon Pareles dated January 25, 1979 it states "Ocasek was born into a Polish Catholic family in Baltimore, the son of a computer systems analyst, and attended a parochial elementary school." People is also partly inaccurate in stating Ocasek's father was "Polish-born" because it appears his father was born in the United States. Piriczki (talk) 13:35, 23 October 2013 (UTC)

If you have the title of the Parales article, you should add it as a reference.

Let me repeat Centerone's point from above: What people are failing to take into account here is that our article does not claim that Ocasek is of Polish ethnicity, merely that is father was born in Poland. Since there are ethnic Czechs in Poland, it is not impossible for both claims -- that Ocasek is of Czech ethnicity and that his father was born in Poiland -- to be correct. The problem is, of course, that we only have citations from reliable sources for the one claim. (The sources listed above are not reliable.) To add the claim of Czech ethnicity to the article, all that is needed is a citation from a reliable source. Beyond My Ken (talk) 16:53, 23 October 2013 (UTC)

If the only purpose is to say that his father was born in Poland without indicating any particular ethnicity, the passage seems even more pointless. Plus, many readers could easily infer that "Polish-born" means he was Polish. The larger problem is that the statement is inaccurate. A little genealogy search shows that Ocasek's father was born in Cuyahoga County, Ohio on January 16, 1921. Going further back the history is a little muddled but it does indicate Czech heritage on his father's side and nothing pointing to Polish or anyone living in Poland (on his father's side). This article [4] appears to say he's half czech but without the full preview I wouldn't be certain about citing it. The open question then is heritage on his mother's side.

Obviously this is original research and can't go in the article but it should be enough to remove the inaccurate People magazine statement. Piriczki (talk) 12:11, 25 October 2013 (UTC)

Sure. Beyond My Ken (talk) 15:03, 25 October 2013 (UTC)

Can you provide the references to the genealogy research you did? Someone previously mentioned the census.. but then mentioned a census that didn't exist! And when I did look up the census that might have applied I did not find conclusive evidence to support their claim. Centerone (talk) 18:25, 25 October 2013 (UTC)

How Tall Is He?

In several videos, he appears to dwarf the other members of the band. Please add to the bio sidebar his height. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.1.137.242 (talk) 06:22, 6 December 2015 (UTC)

This link says he is 6' 4" http://celebriot.com/ric-ocasek-weight-height-ethnicity-hair-color-net-worth — Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.1.137.242 (talk) 06:25, 6 December 2015 (UTC)

Pronunciation of his last name

Here is a YouTube video [5] of the bandmembers of The Cars introducing themselves. Can someone familiar with IPA add a pronunciation note to the main page? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Lambdacalculator (talk • contribs) 19:34, 23 March 2016 (UTC)

Done. But someone just reverted my edit without stating a reason. Aikclaes (talk) 14:37, 17 April 2017 (UTC)

Age?

Ocasek was born in 1944. He graduated from Maple Heights High School, Cleveland, Ohio, in 1963. He may have been held back a year, and this is why he didn't graduate in 1962. There is indisputable proof he graduated that year because his junior year yearbook is on Classmates. His picture is in there. He also participated on the high school track team at least during his junior year. A yearbook is as good as a birth certificate. Please do simple research before posting. He was born in 1944. The end. There is NO dispute AT ALL about his age. The NYT corrected the record when it was pointed out he graduated from high school in 1963. He was NOT fourteen when he graduated, understand? He was 19.

The article states that Ric Ocasek was born March 23rd, 1949. It also states that he graduated from Maple Heights High School in 1963. If both of those dates are correct that means he graduated from High School a couple months after turning 14. I suggest that at least one of those dates must be wrong. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Kyle kursk (talk • contribs) 21:07, 11 December 2017 (UTC)

It's wrong. He was born in 1944.

There have been multiple edits over the last few days concerning age. (1946/1949) However the current edit still must be wrong. It states that he moved from Baltimore to Cleveland when he was 16 with his family. (1949+16=1965) It then states that he graduated from high school in Maple Heights (Cleveland) in 1963. How did he graduated from a high school two years before he moved to where the high school is. Either the listed birth age of 1949 is wrong, or the listed graduation year of 1963 is wrong. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Kyle kursk (talk • contribs) 03:58, 19 December 2017 (UTC)

He wasn't born in 1946.

It's been an open secret since the beginning of the Cars that he's older than stated but that's the date published in sources that meet Wikipedia guidelines for reliability so that's what we're stuck with. Apparently public records aren't to be considered per WP:BLPPRIMARY. For a long time Benjamin Orr's year of birth was given as 1953, as was Tom Petty's. I guess the record companies didn't want their new wave acts to be just a few years younger than the Beatles. Piriczki (talk) 14:17, 19 December 2017 (UTC)

Ok, thank you for the explanation. I went the "Talk" page route, instead of making any changes to the actual article because I wasn't sure of the facts. I had looked up the Wikipedia on various members of the Cars since it was in the news that they were being inducted to the Rock Hall. Glancing at the bio info, and the article for Ric Ocasek, I did a double take when I realized the numbers didn't add up. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Kyle kursk (talk • contribs) 00:27, 20 December 2017 (UTC)

If there are reliable-source citations for 1944, then we need to include them. Right now, we have AllMusic, Joel Whitburn, and The New York Times all saying 1949. Making claims based on one's analysis of when he ostensibly graduated high school, etc., is original research / WP:SYNTH. --Tenebrae (talk) 14:34, 3 May 2018 (UTC)

I've added the 1944 date as well based on CNN and USA Today giving his age as 74 today (May 3, 2018), but these may be based on the uncited 1944 date given in Wikipedia until about a half-hour ago.--Tenebrae (talk) 14:46, 3 May 2018 (UTC)

Year of birth was not based on when he graduated high school. Piriczki (talk) 16:02, 3 May 2018 (UTC)

When he attended high school is pretty relevant, I would say. He wasn't a child prodigy, so he didn't graduate in 1963 at the age of 14. Most likely he had been held back a year somewhere during his school years or started school a year later, and this is why he graduated in 1963 and not 1962.

Hi, Piticzki. I didn't say it was. I was referring to the first comment in this section: "It states that he moved from Baltimore to Cleveland when he was 16 with his family. (1949+16=1965) It then states that he graduated from high school in Maple Heights (Cleveland) in 1963. How did he graduated from a high school two years before he moved to where the high school is." I'd also have to note that uncited "open secrets", i.e., rumors, aren't really RS. --Tenebrae (talk) 20:40, 3 May 2018 (UTC)

Here is a cut and paste from the Wikipedia guideline on Original Research. “This policy of no original research does not apply to talk pages and other pages which evaluate article content and sources, such as deletion discussions or policy noticeboards.” I clearly stated in my comments on “The Talk Page” that I didn’t post or edit anything in the actual wiki article. I was merely pointing out the mathematical impossibility of what was stated as fact in the wiki article. That way whoever published/edits the wiki article could address the error. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Kyle kursk (talk • contribs) 14:20, 4 March 2019 (UTC)

I don't know if this helps or is worth citing, but Newsday says, "Ocasek, who is either 69 or 74 according to different sources....".--Tenebrae (talk) 20:42, 3 May 2018 (UTC)

I suppose that could be used to cite "sources differ" in the article's first sentence. I just corrected an edit that took out 1944 and left only 1949 -- the editor's comment said "all credible sources" say 1949, but I just found another source -- the Associated Press -- which says 1944. Having now put that source as a cite in the article, there is the AP, CNN, and USA Today saying 1944, and a book compiling Billboard charts, AllMusic, and a NY Times "Chronicles" social announcement on the 1993 birth of Ocasek's son saying 1949. If it weren't for the NY Times blurb, I'd say all credible sources say 1944. But until there is a credible source that both puts the date at one year and rejects the other year, it will likely have to remain with both years. Jhw57 (talk) 16:25, 7 May 2018 (UTC)

How could it be that sources differ? can't you just ask his age in an interview? or check his US birth certificate and that's it. He's a public person, that should be easy --†_JuanPa_† (talk) 22:12, 10 September 2018 (UTC)

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, people: 1949--> http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n88615966.html Gerntrash (talk) 01:39, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

@Gerntrash Ric would've been 15 years old in 1964 when his first child Christopher was born. Also this article states that he graduated high school in 1963. You can never graduate high school at the age of 14. 107.218.152.97 (talk) 01:44, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

Cite your sources Gerntrash (talk) 01:47, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

@Gerntrash Mylife.com (even though it's a blacklisted website) claims Christopher was born in 1964 and the early life section says he graduated from Maple Heights High School in 1963. Like I said, you can't possibly finish high school at age 14. 107.218.152.97 (talk) 01:49, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

The Library of Congress source cites IMDB for his birth date, which is patently unreliable. If that's the best you have for 70, there's not much of a case for it. Nohomersryan (talk) 01:50, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

"even though it's a blacklisted website" - So... it's blacklisted. MEaning it can't be used. Gerntrash (talk) 01:54, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

"The Library of Congress source cites IMDB ..." It ALSO cites "His This side of paradise, c1986:t.p. (Ric Ocasek)" Gerntrash (talk) 01:56, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

• You mean This Side of Paradise? What exactly is the relevance there to his date of birth? Nohomersryan (talk) 02:00, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

Another source I found myheritage.com also confirms 1964 as the year of birth of Ric's first son Christopher, meaning that Ric was clearly born in 1944 and not 1949. The Christopher Otcasek listed as a 1959 birth on that website can't be his son, he would've been too young to become a father. 107.218.152.97 (talk) 02:01, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

Baltimore Sun says 1949. Gerntrash (talk) 02:11, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

@Nohomersryan said "You mean This Side of Paradise?" No. The LOC says "His" for authorship. He published a book of lyrics and poetry with the title "This Side of Paradise," not the album. The "t.p." in the record means "Title Page". Gerntrash (talk) 02:17, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

• Ok, that makes more sense. I couldn't find a copy of it anywhere, so I can't corroborate that part, but the fact that they explicitly cite IMDb and include its birth date doesn't fill me with ease. Also, Baltimore Sun are now saying 75. Nohomersryan (talk) 02:21, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

The cars. (2001). In P. Hardy, The Faber companion to 20th century popular music (3rd ed.). London, UK: Faber and Faber Ltd. states: "Ric Ocasek, b. Richard Otcasek, 23 March 1949, Baltimore, Maryland, USA..." Gerntrash (talk) 02:27, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

• And in Rock N Roll Gold Rush: A Singles Un-Cyclopedia, Benjamin Orr is described as being born in 1953. But that might be 5 years too generous. Say, what's the difference between 1944 and 1949 again? Nohomersryan (talk) 02:37, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

The New York Times in Chronicle: Honors for belafonte and poitier paulina porizkova's a mother what if they gave two dance evenings and 6% of the city showed up? (1993, Nov 17). New York Times (1923-Current File) cites Ocasek as 44 years old on Nov 17, 1993. That makes his birth date 1949. So, The New York Times, The Library of Congress, The Baltimore Sun, and The Faber companion to 20th century popular music, among other sources, list his birth year as 1949. Gerntrash (talk) 02:39, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

• The same NY Times and Baltimore Sun that just published obituaries calling him 75? It seems pretty obvious he was just cited as being born in 1949 because it was widely circulated inaccurate information. Now that police have stepped in to confirm his death, there's no real fudging he can do about it. Nohomersryan (talk) 02:42, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

From The Standard; Warrnambool, Vic. [Warrnambool, Vic] 23 Mar 2015: p. 10. : "Ric Ocasek: US singer-producer, The Cars (1949)" Gerntrash (talk) 02:47, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

@Nohomersryan said: "Now that police have stepped in to confirm his death" - You did not cite a police report. They said he is dead. They didn't say when he was born. Gerntrash (talk) 02:49, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

"Former Cars front man Ocasek was born Richard Otcasek in 1949 in Baltimore. Ocasek was part of a strict Catholic family who lived in Baltimore until 1965, moving to Cleveland when Ric was 16." From: Croft, Clare. "Baltimore Rocks (... and Raps ... and Scats) ; Find Out which Musicians Once Called Charm City Home.; Music & Nightlife: BALTIMORESUN.COM Edition]." The Sun, Aug 15, 2005, pp. 1. Gerntrash (talk) 02:52, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

• We can sit here all day posting sources that say 1949. I don't think it's in dispute he was referred to as that. However, with his high school graduation being 1963, and the fact that police identification (seemingly) has him as 75, it seems pretty obvious he did what Benjamin Orr did and lopped 4-5 years off his age (go on, search for sources saying Orr was born in 1953. There are tons!). Since you aren't responding to other comments, or acknowledging the new sources saying 1944, I don't really see the need to continue this impasse for now, unless someone else wants to step in. Nohomersryan (talk) 02:53, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

The New York City police department said officers responding to a 911 call found the 75-year-old Ocasek at about 4 p.m. on Sunday. They said there was no sign of foul play and that the medical examiner was to determine a cause of death. - from AP, which, to my reading, makes it sound like the age comes from the NYPD. Nohomersryan (talk) 02:55, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

That does not say the age came from the NYPD. Furthermore, if he moved to Cleveland when he was 16 in 1965, that makes his birth year 1949. Six reliable sources cited. Gerntrash (talk) 03:35, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

Between multiple sources citing his first son being born in 1964, high school graduation in 1963, and the fact that musicians lying about age to support a specific persona is/was fairly commonplace, it seems fairly obvious what's going on here. Leaving both dates up until reliable sources appear makes sense though. ExtremeSquared (talk) 05:01, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

Sorry, that is WP:SYN. DOB tagged as needing a reliable source and current date as dubious with reasoning and citation. Toddst1 (talk) 12:31, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

That is correct. Online copies of his high school yearbooks, excluding senior yearbook, are available to see on Classmates. SN 16 September 2019 — Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.56.31.15 (talk) 14:40, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

It is absurd to for anyone to keep insisting that he could have been born in 1949. From the article- "When Ocasek was 16 years old, his family moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where he graduated from Maple Heights High School in 1963." If you insist that he was born in 1949, and he moved when he was 16, (1949+16=1965) then you are trying to say that he graduated from a high school two years before he ever lived there! At age 14!

Either through vanity or at the suggestion of management, celebrities have always lied about their ages. Just because some publications printed the false age early in his career doesn't make it true, or change the laws of mathematics. Kyle kursk (talk) 12:42, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

Ric Ocasek was born March 23, 1944. His family moved to Maple Heights, Ohio in 1960 (source: 1959 Baltimore City Directory and 1960 Cleveland City Directory). He graduated from Maple Heights High School in 1963 (he said so himself in the source cited in the article). He appears in the 1961, 1962 and 1963 editions of the Maple Heights High School yearbook. He was married in 1963 or 1964 (source: Cuyahoga County Marriage Records and Indexes). His first child was born June 26, 1964 (source: Ohio birth index). That makes a birth date of 1949 quite dubious. Ohnothimagain (talk) 12:56, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

Sure. Now go get a WP:RS to back that up. Toddst1 (talk) 13:04, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

I added a source from NME that has his DOB in 1944. Spengouli (talk) 14:28, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

That is correct and consistent with his high school attendance.

According to User:NinjaRobotPirate, WikiPedia can't use primary sources.64.134.220.14 (talk) 16:54, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

Per Pareles, Jon (15 Sept 2019). "Ric Ocasek, New Wave Rock Visionary and Cars Co-Founder, Is Dead". New York Times. Retrieved 16 September 2019. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help) his date of birth is disputed. Toddst1 (talk) 18:08, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

Do you have a source that a) I can actually read (bloody GDPR…) and b) states that his date of birth is disputed that doesn't date from before we started querying it? I suspect he's used us for that.--Launchballer 18:23, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

@Launchballer:, the passage in that NYT obituary that is being referred to is as follows: "Sources have differed on Mr. Ocasek’s age; some say he was 70, but a few public records and previous articles about him suggest that he was 75." Doc Strange^MailboxLogbook 18:28, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

Note: the updated NYT article now states 75, with the above note removed. All other major news organizations seem to be also reporting 75 - perhaps we could just note the fact the 1949 also has been reported in the past? Connormah (talk) 22:44, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

Also, per the Washington Post [6] "Tall and lanky, with a fondness for dark sunglasses and a corresponding aversion to publicity, Mr. Ocasek had long declined to clarify varying reports about his age, which some sources gave as 70. According to a New York police spokesman, he was 75, and was discovered by police officers about 4 p.m. Sunday in response to a 911 call. The medical examiner’s office announced on Monday that the cause was heart disease, and noted that he had pulmonary emphysema. [...] Mr. Ocasek was born Richard Otcasek in Baltimore on March 23, 1944, according to New York Police Department records." Connormah (talk) 22:52, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

Here is the direct release from the NYPD: [7] "Richard Otcasek aka 'Ric Ocasek', 75". Seems pretty open and shut now. I think "disputed" should be removed in lieu of a note that mentions he was commonly mentioned as being born in 1949, if no one has any objections at this point. Nohomersryan (talk) 23:21, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

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Friendship Ocasek-Orr alluded to in "Mindhunter"?

Given this friendship between Ric Ocasek and Benjamin Orr, mentioned in the article, is it a pure coincidence that in Episode 4 of TV series "Mindhunter" there is a local police officer Mark Ocasek befriended with a suspect called Benjamin "Benji" Barnwright? Just asking myself. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 188.192.222.127 (talk) 09:47, 6 October 2018 (UTC)

Jewish?

For some reason I was under the impression Ocasek was Jewish, and if you Google he is listed as such on a few websites (albeit mostly Nazi ones). Was I conflating him with Geddy Lee or is there legit basis behind this idea? Rqe1 (talk) 16:59, 5 June 2019 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 16 September 2019

Change his age from 75 to 70 under the personal life and death section: https://pagesix.com/2019/09/15/the-cars-frontman-ric-ocasek-found-dead-in-manhattan-townhouse/ 2604:6000:1011:4687:E9A6:247C:E3B0:86F1 (talk) 01:21, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

75 is more accurate. This article says Ric graduated high school in 1963, and according to the website mylife.com, his first child Christopher was born in 1964. There's no way he could have given birth to his first child at the age of 15. 107.218.152.97 (talk) 01:31, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

• Marking as answered, since this is discussed elsewhere on the page. Nohomersryan (talk) 01:59, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 16 September 2019

You erroneously say he was 70 when he died at the end of the article. He was 75. 165.225.0.77 (talk) 01:35, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

• Marking as answered, since this is discussed elsewhere on the page. Nohomersryan (talk) 01:59, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 16 September 2019

Ric Ocasek was 70. He was born March 23, 1949 and died September 15, 2019. 108.29.20.192 (talk) 01:42, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

• Marking as answered, since this is discussed elsewhere on the page. Nohomersryan (talk) 01:59, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 16 September 2019

All sources of Ric's birthday point to the media, who are unreliable source. This source in the Library of Congress is hard evidence that Ric was born in 1949. http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n88615966.html 194.36.17.147 (talk) 01:50, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

• Not done: that's clearly not hard evidence. It cites his existing IMDb page for his birth date. It's in no way a rung above other sources in reliability. Nohomersryan (talk) 01:51, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

WP:IMDBREF Toddst1 (talk) 23:07, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

Age Discrepancy for Ric Ocasek

If Ric Ocasek was born in 1949, he was not 75 when he died. One of the numbers is wrong. Her22372 (talk) 12:31, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

• There are a lot of sources saying he was 75. And if the date of his high school graduation as 1963 is to be believed, it lends further credence to an earlier birth date than 1949. JNW (talk) 12:36, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

This is discussed above in the "Age?" section: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Ric_Ocasek#Age? Gerntrash (talk) 12:48, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

Confusion over his age

He has a son who is older than me - and I'm 54. So, I'm guessing he was 75. I doubt he had a son at age of 15. Perhaps he keep his age a mystery because when the Cars broke in the late 70s he was in his mid thirites - which was, in those days, considered old for Rock & Roll. But not anymore of course. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:46:8200:450E:5D6:67EF:5E07:DB05 (talk) 13:20, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

Family

Any relation to Oliver Ocasek (November 2, 1925 – June 25, 1999) who served as President of the Ohio State Senate in the 1970s and 1980s?--Artaxerxes 13:41, 16 September 2019 (UTC)