(WS News) – Irish singer-songwriter Glen Hansard, who won an Academy Award for the 2007 musical film “Once” and fronted the rock band The Frames for decades, has died at age 56 following a motorcycle crash on the outskirts of Dublin.
Irish police said a man in his 50s died in a single-vehicle motorcycle crash in Lucan, on the western outskirts of the Irish capital, in the early hours of Wednesday morning. He was treated at the scene but pronounced dead a short time later. His management team, ATC Management, confirmed the death in a statement, saying his family was “deeply shocked and heartbroken” and asking for privacy.
Hansard first gained international recognition acting alongside a Dublin soul band in the 1991 film “The Commitments,” but it was his starring role in the low-budget 2007 drama “Once,” alongside Czech singer Markéta Irglová, that made him a global name. The film, about two struggling musicians who fall for one another over the course of a few days in Dublin, earned Hansard and Irglová the Academy Award for best original song for “Falling Slowly,” a track they co-wrote together. The story was later adapted into a Broadway musical that went on to win eight Tony Awards in 2012, including best musical.
Beyond “Once,” Hansard spent decades as the frontman of The Frames and later formed the duo Swell Season with Irglová. He continued releasing solo material well into his later career, including the Grammy-nominated 2015 album “Didn’t He Ramble,” and had released a new volume of music just last month.
Tributes poured in from across the music world following news of his death. Bruce Springsteen described Hansard as “a great musician, a good friend and a generous and gracious man,” recalling their friendship dating back years to a meeting in Ireland. Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin called him a “talented musician and actor who made a significant contribution to Ireland’s cultural landscape over many years,” while former Irish President Michael D. Higgins praised his gift for storytelling and his longstanding advocacy work on homelessness.
Hansard began busking on the streets of Dublin at just 13 years old after leaving school, eventually catching the attention of Island Records and forming The Frames. He is survived by his wife, Finnish poet Maire Saaritsa, and their three-year-old son.
