Was Ric Ocasek Actually 75?

There are also yearbook photos, as well as personal accounts from a Facebook group filled with Maple Heights High School alumni, that corroborate 1963 as his graduation year.

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The Times found a court record showing that in 1988, a man named Richard T. Otcasek — the singer’s legal name — was cited in Baltimore for speeding and driving with an expired license. His birth year for these citations was given as 1944.

It’s not clear how the 1949 birth date circulated, but it’s likely that Mr. Ocasek himself played a role. It seems much more probable that a rock star would want people to think he’s younger than he is, rather than older. Musicians and actors publicly shaving off a few years — or, in Mariah Carey’s case, claiming that she doesn’t have a birthday at all — isn’t anything new, and Mr. Ocasek declined to disclose his age in some interviews.

Then there is Mr. Ocasek’s voter registration in New York, again under his legal name, Richard T. Otcasek. Mr. Ocasek registered with a birthday of March 23, 1949.

Voters provide their personal details, including a birthday, themselves when registering. This information isn’t verified by the Board of Elections, Valerie Vazquez, a spokeswoman with New York City’s board, said in an email.

Voters do, however, have to sign an affidavit confirming the accuracy of the information on their registration form, she added. The form threatens a fine of up to $5,000 and up to four years in jail if the information provided isn’t true — a high price for a few extra years of youth, if that was the case.

With most — but not all — evidence pointing to 1944, declaring Mr. Ocasek’s age with absolute certainty can be tricky, especially when the best person to verify with is no longer with us. But on Monday, The Times felt certain enough to make a definitive change to Mr. Ocasek’s obituary. The story no longer alludes to any conundrum: He was 75.