Glen Hansard, the Academy Award-winning singer-songwriter and frontman of the Irish rock band The Frames, has died at the age of 56. His death occurred on July 29, following a motorcycle crash in West Dublin.
ATC Management, which represented Hansard, confirmed his passing in a statement. "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. "Glen’s family is deeply shocked and heartbroken by this tragic loss and respectfully requests privacy at this extremely difficult time."
Hansard was best known for his role in the 2007 musical film “Once,” where he starred opposite his The Swell Season bandmate, Markéta Irglová. The film, which followed the story of a Dublin street musician and an immigrant who form a bond over their shared love of music, earned Hansard and Irglová the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2008 for their song “Falling Slowly.”
He first gained prominence as the founder and frontman of The Frames, an Irish rock band he established in 1990. Hansard also performed as part of the folk-rock duo The Swell Season. His acting career included an early role as guitar player Outspan Foster in the 1991 film “The Commitments.”
The musical film “Once” was later adapted into a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, with Hansard and Irglová credited for writing all the songs featured in the original film.