Ric Ocasek's Sons Share Their Father's Final Message: Keep On Laughin'

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Music legend Ric Ocasek's death Sunday came as a shock to his family and friends, who believed The Cars' front man to be on the road to recovery following a recent surgery.

Ocasek was pronounced dead at his New York City home after his ex-wife Paulina Porizkova arrived to check on him, discovering that he had apparently passed away in his sleep.

"We appreciate the great outpouring of love," Porizkova wrote in a note shared on her husband of 28 years' Facebook page. "We, his family and friends, are completely and utterly devastated by his untimely and unexpected death and would appreciate the privacy to mourn in private."

Ocasek's sons, Jonathan and Oliver, added in a subsequent post a photo of what must have been the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer's final drawing. The two described their dad as a "prolific doodler," who couldn't possibly have known what the drawing "would end up meaning to us. We love him so much."

It's difficult to discern what the black and red doodle represents, but Ric scrawled several poignant phrases in the margins: "Never forget that look," reads one.

"Keep on laughin'," reads another.

"It is what it is," reads a final one at the bottom of the page.

Earlier Monday, Porizkova thanked people for their support in the caption of a photo of a makeshift vigil fans created out of flowers and toy cars at the gate of Ric's East 19th Street home in New York City's Gramercy Park neighborhood.

Photo: Getty Images


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