Ric Ocasek, photographed in New York in June, 1995 — the same year a young Matthew Caws handed him a demo recording of his band, Nada Surf. Shortly thereafter, Ocasek was producing the group's debut album, High/Low. Bob Berg/Getty Images hide caption
Ric Ocasek of The Cars, performing at the group's induction ceremony into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2018. Ocasek died Sunday. Kevin Mazur/Getty Images For the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame hide caption
Ric Ocasek (second from left) says the decision to reunite The Cars was simple: He had a batch of new songs, and knew his former bandmates could play them best. Courtesy of the artist hide caption