Although Ric Ocasek will forever be the most identifiable figure in The Cars (and, if you’ve ever seen him, how could he not be?), some of the band’s biggest hits were sung by member Benjamin Orr. The group’s bassist sang lead on tunes such as “Just What I Needed,” “Let’s Go” and their highest-charting single, “Drive."

Long before he helped found The Cars in 1976, Orr was born Benjamin Orzechowski in Lakewood, Ohio in 1947. As a young musician growing up in the Cleveland suburbs, he took to all sorts of instruments, including guitar, bass, keyboards and drums. Becoming well-known as “Benny 11-Letters,” Orr dropped out of high school to sing lead and play guitar in a local band named The Grasshoppers. The group became the house band on the syndicated, Cleveland-based seriesUpbeat, and even released a couple of singles, one written by Orr.

However, the group disbanded in 1967 when two of the members were drafted for the Vietnam War. Orr was drafted soon after, although he only spent about a year and a half in the army because of a deferment. Once out of the service, Orr moved to Columbus in 1970, where he met Ric Ocasek at a party. The two would become friends and musical partners for the next two decades.

Their first band together was a folk-rock group called Milkwood, which played on the Boston scene (the guys had moved there because they thought it was a better place to get a foothold in the music industry). The band released one album, How’s the Weather?, in 1972, but it didn’t go anywhere and Milkwood broke up soon after.

However, Orr and Ocasek continued working together through the mid-’70s – whether it was as an acoustic duo, in a band called Richard and the Rabbits, or as part of the jazzy group Cap’n Swing. Future Cars guitarist Elliot Easton was also in that band, which featured Orr as the sole frontman. With the firing of some members and the addition of keyboardist Greg Hawkes (whom Orr and Ocasek had worked with previously) and drummer David Robinson (an ex-Modern Lovers member), Cap’n Swing morphed into The Cars.

After a demo of the Orr-sung “Just What I Needed” became a hit on Boston rock radio, The Cars signed to Elektra Records and released their debut album in 1978. The album reached Billboard’s Top 20 and more hits followed, including “Let’s Go” and “It’s All I Can Do,” both sung by Orr. With Ocasek writing and the longtime pals sharing vocal duties, The Cars became one of the trademark bands of new wave, releasing an album every year through 1982.

However, the band’s biggest hit came in 1984, when “Drive” – sung ever-so gently by Orr – hit #3 on the U.S. singles charts. The Cars’ appearance one year later at Live Aid reinforced the band’s immense popularity; the live performance of “Drive” from those epic concerts pushed the single to re-enter the charts. By 1985, The Cars had amassed enough hits for a Greatest Hitsalbum.

While still a member of the band, Orr released his solo debut in 1986, on which he co-wrote all the music and lyrics. Titled The Lace, the album spawned the Top 40 hit “Stay the Night,” which was also a #1 video on MTV and VH1. Orr continued his work with The Cars for their final album in 1987, before all agreed to pursue separate projects (without officially breaking up).

Things got quieter for Orr in the ’90s. He worked on a follow-up to The Lace (which would never see the light of day), and performed as part of a variety of bands, including ORR and Big People, a covers group that featured members of .38 Special and Ted Nugent’s and Billy Joel’s bands.

In April of 2000, tragedy struck when the musician was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer and was hospitalized. After being released, he continued to tour that summer with Big People. He also reunited with the other four members of The Cars (the last time they would all be together) for an interview that was included on a DVD with a Cars concert from 1979.

Orr lost his battle with Pancreatic Cancer on October 4, 2000 at the home of his fiancée Julie Snider in Atlanta, Georgia. He was 53. His former bandmate and long-running friend Ocasek wrote about Orr in the song “Silver” released on Ocasek’s 2005 solo album, Nexterday. The lyrics are a loving tribute to his creative partner: “You were my party / You were my tea / You’re the one who had faith in me."