Glen Hansard, the Oscar-winning Irish folk-rock musician and actor, died aged 56 in a motorcycle crash in Lucan, on the outskirts of Dublin, early on Wednesday morning. Irish police said he was treated at the scene but died shortly after.
Oscar-winning song and film success
Hansard won the Oscar for best original song for Falling Slowly, the centerpiece of the 2007 romantic drama Once. The film starred Hansard and Markéta Irglová as struggling musicians in Dublin; Irglová co-wrote the song and shared the Oscar. Once was later adapted into a stage musical in 2011.
Hansard was also the frontman of the Frames, who released six studio albums, including the 2004 Irish chart-topper Burn the Maps.
Family statement and tributes
A statement from Hansard's representatives said: “Glen’s family is deeply shocked and heartbroken by this tragic loss and respectfully requests privacy at this extremely difficult time. The family is grateful for the support they have received and wishes to thank the emergency services who attended the scene. As this matter remains the subject of an active Garda investigation, no further comment will be made at this time.”
Ireland’s culture minister, Patrick O’Donovan, paid tribute: “Few artists made as big an impact on modern Irish storytelling … Hansard consistently poured passion and vulnerability into every note. His impact will last generations in Irish music, even as his life has ended far too soon.”
Early life and career
Hansard started out performing on the streets of Dublin after dropping out of school. He formed the Frames in his late teens, naming them after his hobby of fixing bicycle frames. His mother secured a bank loan for their earliest recordings. The band was signed to Island Records and released their debut Another Love Song in 1991. After Island dropped them, they gained popularity with albums like For the Birds (2001) and Burn the Maps (2004).
Once and the Swell Season
The Cost (2006) featured the duet Falling Slowly, which Hansard and Irglová also recorded as the Swell Season. Irglová met Hansard in her mid-teens after her father promoted Frames concerts in Czechia. Once was written and directed by John Carney, a former Frames bassist. Cillian Murphy turned down the male lead, leading Carney to cast Hansard, who had only acted once before in The Commitments (1991). Hansard said: “The emotional investment was much higher in Once. It’s just you and your mates and if anyone’s in bad form it’s not going to work.”
Despite a low budget, Once grossed over $20 million worldwide. Falling Slowly was Grammy-nominated and won the Oscar. Hansard and Irglová had a real-life romance, though they split in 2009. They later reunited for a third Swell Season album, Forward, in 2025, and recorded a song with Ukrainian refugees in 2022.
Later career and personal life
After Once, Hansard released five solo albums, starting with Rhythm and Repose (2012). He appeared as a voice actor on The Simpsons and recorded a song for The Hunger Games soundtrack. In 2023, he performed Fairytale of New York at Shane MacGowan's funeral. He is survived by his wife, Finnish poet Maire Saaritsa, and their three-year-old son Christy. He once said of fatherhood: “For 52 years I was the most important person in my own life, and then suddenly I got a complete perspective shift.”
Each year, he returned to busking on Dublin’s Grafton Street to raise money for the homeless. The stage adaptation of Once opened on Broadway in 2012, winning eight Tony Awards, and has been revived globally.
