The Cars' singer Ric Ocasek dead at New York home

Ric Ocasek, lead singer of The Cars, has died at his New York apartment.

Variety said the New York Police Department confirmed the 75-year-old Drive hitmaker was dead.

Police received a call about an unconscious male at Ocasek's Manhatten townhouse. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Cars and Ocasek were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018.

At the time he told Rolling Stone: "It's certainly a wonderful feeling to be accepted by peers and you see the people that are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, who gets inducted, it's a positive feeling that you get."

Ric Ocasek, lead singer of The Cars. Photo / Getty Images

The band had 13 US top 40 hits in the late 1970s and 1980s. Several tracks were hits worldwide, including My Best Friend's Girl and Drive, which was later covered by Kiwi band Strawpeople.

After The Cars broke up in 1988, Ocasek released multiple solo records and produced albums for bands including Weezer.