Glen Hansard, the celebrated Irish singer-songwriter who captured an Academy Award for the global hit “Falling Slowly,” died early this morning in a motorcycle crash in Dublin. He was 56.
Glen Hansard singing with two hands on the microphone and his eyes closed.
Emergency services responded to the single-vehicle accident on Lower Road in Lucan, an area west of Dublin, shortly before 4:30 a.m. local time. Police are actively appealing for witnesses to the fatal crash.
Police officers at the scene of the fatal crash in Dublin.
ATC Management confirmed the tragedy in a public statement, noting the musician’s family is deeply shocked and heartbroken by the sudden loss.
“With broken hearts we announce the passing of Glen Hansard who passed away, in the early hours of this morning, following a road traffic accident in Dublin,” the statement read. The management team requested privacy for the family and expressed gratitude to the first responders who attended the scene.
A Legendary Voice in Folk and Rock
Born in Dublin in 1970, Hansard’s musical journey began on the city’s streets as a busker. He achieved his earliest taste of fame by landing the role of Outspan Foster in the 1991 cult classic film The Commitments.
He went on to front the acclaimed rock group The Frames, cementing his status as a permanent pillar of the Irish music scene.
His international fame skyrocketed in 2007 when he starred opposite Czech musician Markéta Irglová in the low-budget indie film Once. The duo played two musicians who meet in Dublin and form a creative partnership, performing their original songs under the moniker The Swell Season.
The film won the World Cinema Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival, and Hansard took home a 2008 Oscar for Best Original Song for the film’s signature acoustic track, “Falling Slowly.”
A Broadway adaptation of Once, built entirely around Hansard and Irglová’s music, later dominated the Tony Awards, taking home eight trophies including Best Musical.
As a solo artist, Hansard continued to find critical success over the following decades. His album Didn’t He Ramble earned a Grammy nomination for Best Folk Album in 2016.
National Mourning
Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin expressed deep sadness online, offering his sincere sympathies to Hansard’s family, friends, and legions of fans.
Martin described Hansard as a “talented musician and actor who made a significant contribution to Ireland’s cultural landscape over many years.”
Hansard leaves behind a three-year-old son.
