The BBC confirmed the death of Glen Hansard, the Irish musician and Oscar winner, at the age of 56, after a motorcycle crash in Dublin. The artist passed away in the early hours of Wednesday following a single-vehicle collision on Lower Road in Lucan, to the west of the city, according to the Irish police, who are seeking witnesses to the incident.
Hansard was known as the frontman of The Frames and for his appearance in the film The Commitments (1991), where he portrayed Outspan Foster. His greatest recognition came in 2008 when he won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for Falling Slowly, a track he co-wrote with Markéta Irglová for the indie film Once.
Besides his work with The Frames, Hansard formed the duo The Swell Season with Irglová and pursued a solo career with albums such as Didn’t He Ramble, which earned a Grammy nomination for Best Folk Album in 2016. In 2024 he performed in Spain at Noches del Botánico.
Born in Dublin in 1970, Hansard began by busking on the streets of the Irish capital before rising to fame. He was the father of a three-year-old son. His management team has said that his family is “deeply shocked and heartbroken by the loss” and has asked for privacy at this time.
