Ric Ocasek’s death was sudden and unexpected, but the creative Cars frontman managed to leave behind a remarkable final gift for two of his sons. The late new wave pioneer passed away in his sleep at his New York home while recovering from a recent medical procedure on Sunday. While Ocasek was a father to six sons — Christopher, Adam, Eron, Derek, Jonathan, and Oliver, as The Inquisitr previously shared — Jonathan and Oliver, his sons with wife Paulina Porizkova, were with him in his final hours.
According to new update updates by the family, Porizkova was at Ocasek’s New York townhome taking care of him as he recovered, and she touched his face and realized he had quietly passed away in his sleep. The supermodel detailed the singer’s final hours in a poignant social media post, which you can see below.
Ocasek’s sons later found an unexpected gift from their late father. The rocker’s sons revealed that their dad, who was a prolific artist, had left behind a final “doodle” on his armchair that they discovered shortly after he died. The charming pen sketch contains a message that the sons can now carry with them forever.
You can see the messages from the Ocasek family and a look at the sweet final sketch The Cars frontman left behind below.
— The Cars (@thecarsband) September 16, 2019
From Ric’s sons: Our dad was a prolific doodler. His passing was sudden, unexpected, and beyond heartbreaking. Yesterday, we found this last doodle on his armchair. He couldn’t have known what it would end up meaning to us. We love him so much. pic.twitter.com/bJNpXSQgDO
— The Cars (@thecarsband) September 16, 2019
While Ocasek was best known for his music, die-hard fans knew all about his side career as an artist. The late singer’s bio on WentworthGallery.com reveals he started creating art as a young boy and continued to make abstract drawings, photo collages, and mixed media paintings throughout his life — and now, fans know, until the very end of his life.
“I’ve been drawing for most of my life. It’s like thinking on paper,” Ocasek once said. “The process of drawing is the same as writing a song. They both start with a blank page.”
Several of Ocasek’s sons inherited his creativity. In 2014, Oliver told The Cut he had an interest in photography and music.
“Music is my main interest; I play the piano, the violin, and mandolin and am hoping to compose a violin concerto over Christmas break. Creativity runs in our family,” he said.
According to Hollywood Life , Porizkova once said that her son Oliver “inherited [Ric’s] focus.” Ocasek’s youngest son pursued a degree at the Eastman School of Music at Rochester University. Older son Jonathan went to grad school for video game design.