Supermodel Paulina Porizkova has recounted the painful moment she discovered that her estranged husband, Ric Ocasek, had excluded her from his will while she was selecting clothes for his coffin following his sudden death in 2019.
Ocasek, the lead singer of American rock band The Cars, died on September 15, 2019, at the age of 75. Although the couple had separated after nearly three decades of marriage, they were still living in the same New York home while preparing for their divorce.
Speaking during an appearance on Red Table Talk in November 2022, Porizkova recalled finding an envelope containing her husband’s will while preparing for his burial.
According to her account, the document stated that Ocasek would not provide for her because she had abandoned him.
“Three days after my husband died, I’m choosing out the clothing for the coffin, which was really rough. So, while doing that, I open an envelope that says, ‘This is the will and the testament,’ and in his writing it says, ‘I will not provide for my wife because she abandoned me,’” she recalled.
Porizkova said her immediate reaction was disbelief, as she had continued caring for Ocasek despite their separation.
The former couple had announced their separation in 2018, after approximately 28 years of marriage. However, they continued sharing a home and remained connected through their family.
Ocasek had undergone surgery shortly before his death to remove a cancerous tumour from his lung. Porizkova said she continued looking after him during his recovery, bringing him food and coffee.
She recalled that he appeared to be recovering well, making his sudden death particularly shocking.
When news of the will became public, Porizkova said she found herself facing questions about her relationship with Ocasek and why he had chosen to exclude her from his estate.
The model later said she discovered messages between Ocasek and his divorce lawyer on his phone, which led her to believe the decision to exclude her had been deliberate.
Despite the hurt, she said she eventually reached a point where she could forgive him.
The financial consequences were also significant. Porizkova said she was left without readily available cash and had to rely on friends for help with basic expenses, including groceries, while the estate dispute continued.
She subsequently challenged the will, seeking her legal entitlement as Ocasek’s surviving spouse. Under New York law, a surviving spouse generally has the right to claim an elective share of an estate, subject to applicable legal rules and exceptions.
Ocasek’s will had attempted to deny her that entitlement, arguing that she had abandoned him. However, Porizkova contested that characterisation, maintaining that she had continued to care for him despite their separation.
The legal dispute lasted for an extended period and involved the administration of Ocasek’s estate. Reports at the time stated that Porizkova was entitled to seek one-third of the estate under New York law.
Reflecting on the experience, she described the emotional difficulty of grieving someone she had loved for decades while simultaneously confronting a document that appeared to reject their shared history.
Porizkova and Ocasek married in 1989 and had two sons together. Their relationship had spanned much of her career as an international supermodel and his success as the frontman of one of America’s most recognisable rock bands.
Her account has since become a widely discussed example of how bereavement, complicated relationships and disputes over inheritance can collide at an already painful moment in a family’s life.
