Meet Paulina Porizkova's famous ex-husband who cut her out of his will when he died

The supermodel and former's America's Next Top Model judge is engaged once again

Paulina Porizkova attends a special screening of "Maybe I Do" hosted by Fifth Season and Vertical at Crosby Street Hotel on January 17, 2023 in New York City

Ahad SanwariSenior Writer - New York

July 10, 2025Jul 10, 2025, 10:20 PM GMT+1

Who was Paulina's first husband?

Paulina was married to musician Ric Ocasek. The singer and record producer was the lead vocalist, primary songwriter, rhythm guitarist and frontman for new wave band The Cars.

Atlanta - October 16: Singer/Songwriter Ric Ocasek of The Cars performs at The Omni Coliseum in Atlanta Georgia October 16, 1980. — Paulina's first husband was musician Ric Ocasek

Ric found major success as a both a member of the American group, which earned several top 10 hits in the 1970s and '80s and sold over six million copies of its debut album alone, but also as a producer for acts like Suicide, Weezer, No Doubt and Bad Brains.

Ric also released seven solo studio albums while he was alive, earning a top 20 hit in 1986 with "Emotion in Motion." He also wrote poetry and released books of his prose and lyrics before his passing.

Paulina and Ric Ocasek's relationship

NEW YORK - APRIL 3: American musician Ric Ocasek (L) and Czech supermodel Paulina Porizkova (R) pose for a photo at the party for the premiere of John Waters' film "Cry-Baby" on April 3, 1990 in New York City, New York — The musician met the supermodel when she was 19 and he was 40

In 1984, while filming the music video for the Cars' song "Drive," a then 19-year-old Paulina met 40-year-old Ric while he was married to his second wife, Suzanne. He was previously also married to Constance Campbell before their 1971 divorce.

Sparks flew between Paulina and Ric, although they didn't act on it until much later. Ric and Suzanne obtained a divorce in 1988, and in 1989, Paulina and Ric tied the knot when she was 24 and he was 45.

Building a family

In 1993, Paulina and Ric welcomed their first child, a son named Jonathan Raven Otcasek. Jonathan, now 31, is a multimedia artist and game designer, tying the knot last year with Erin Minji Kim, his college girlfriend.

Jonathan Raven Ocasek, Oliver Orion Ocasek, Paulina Porizkova and Ric Ocasek attend the 'Florence Foster Jenkins' New York premiere at AMC Loews Lincoln Square 13 theater on August 9, 2016 in New York City. — The pair welcomed sons Jonathan and Oliver together

In 1999, Paulina and Ric welcomed their second son, Oliver Otcasek. Oliver is now an advisory software engineer, per his LinkedIn, currently employed with IBM. Jonathan and Oliver were the youngest of Ric's six sons, having welcomed two sons with each of his wives.

Ric's death and the battle over his estate

In 2018, Paulina announced that the couple had been separated for a year after nearly three decades of marriage. However, in 2019, Ric underwent surgery, suffering from both hypertensive heart and coronary artery disease.

Inductee Ric Ocasek of The Cars and Paulina Porizkova attend 33rd Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at Public Auditorium on April 14, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio — The pair quietly separated in 2017 before Ric's death in 2019

Paulina cared for him while he recovered but in September 2019, he was found dead aged 75. The pair were still in the midst of their divorce proceedings at the time, but a new will came out shortly after that stated he had disinherited Paulina plus his two oldest sons. He stated in his will that the model had "abandoned" him prior to his surgery, which required a surrogate judge rule to divide the estate.

The case was not ultimately settled until 2021, with Paulina granted a third of his estate. On the podcast The Originals, she simply said of the settlement: "I know exactly how much I'm owed under New York law, how much is due to me. And I am getting it. The estate is settling with me," denying claims he was only worth $5 million at the time of his death.