Ric Ocasek: Singer-songwriter whose band The Cars were a radio and MTV staple

• Ric Ocasek’s deadpan delivery, sardonic lyrics and muscular guitar playing helped to make The Cars one of the most beloved and influential rock bands of the late 1970s and 1980s.Influenced by classic rockers like Buddy Holly as well as more adventurous acts such as the Velvet Underground and Roxy Music, Ocasek – who has died aged 75 – bridged pop, new wave and hard rock when he and bassist-singer Benjamin Orr co-founded The Cars in Boston in 1976, joined by guitarist Elliot Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes and drummer David Robinson.