AAA<\/p>\n
Dublin: Irish musician Glen Hansard, who won a Best Original Song Oscar in 2008 for the indie film Once and was lead singer for rock group The Frames, died in a motorcycle crash at the age of 56 early on Wednesday (Dublin time), his management company said.<\/p>\n
Bruce Springsteen, whom Hansard shared a stage with, said he and his band were heartbroken at the death of a \u201cgreat musician, a good friend and a generous and gracious man\u201d.<\/p>\n
![\"Glen](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/aa3329d27c3e2b38b9430d6abc33565191af7694.jpeg\")
Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova in Once.Icon<\/p>\n
Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin described him as an artist \u201cwho made a significant contribution to Ireland\u2019s cultural landscape.\u201d<\/p>\n
The singer-songwriter began busking on the streets of his native Dublin at the age of 13 after dropping out of school, and formed The Frames in 1990. The band\u2019s popularity at home helped make their lead singer a fixture on the Irish music scene for the next four decades.<\/p>\n
Related Article U2 frontman Bono paid tribute to Hansard in a post on X, describing him as \u201ca smiling rascal if you needed him to be … this most musical and mischievous archangel of Ballymun.\u201d<\/p>\n Bono said Hansard \u201ccould never walk by a person living rough without checking they were OK,\u201d and praised his work to help reduce homelessness.<\/p>\n \u201cVoice of the streets. A choir of angels in one man,\u201d Bono said.<\/p>\n Fight against homelessness<\/p>\n Hansard released a number of albums under his own name \u2013 receiving a Grammy nomination in 2016 \u2013 and as part of duo The Swell Season with fellow Oscar winner and Once co-star Marketa Irglova.<\/p>\n The pair\u2019s performances in the low-budget movie shot on handheld camcorders where a street musician falls in love with a young Czech immigrant, and their Oscar-winning duet Falling Slowly, brought Hansard\u2019s music to a much wider audience.<\/p>\n The film, which featured a number of other songs composed and performed by Hansard and Irglova, was turned into a hit Broadway musical that won eight Tony Awards in 2012.<\/p>\n Accepting his Oscar from presenter John Travolta, a stunned Hansard said: \u201cWhat are we doing here? This is mad.\u201d<\/p>\n His only acting experience prior to Once was as a band member in Alan Parker\u2019s 1991 hit The Commitments.<\/p>\n Related Article Many tributes also focused on Hansard\u2019s charity work and advocacy. A Christmas Eve busk he started at the depths of Ireland\u2019s financial crisis in 2010 has raised over \u20ac2 million for the Dublin Simon Community charity, who described the singer on Wednesday as \u201ca giant in the fight against homelessness\u201d.<\/p>\n The annual gathering in central Dublin has featured Bono, Sinead O\u2019Connor and Shane MacGowan. Hansard led a rendition of The Pogues\u2019 Christmas anthem Fairytale of New York at his friend MacGowan\u2019s funeral in 2023.<\/p>\n \u201cWith 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,\u201d ATC Management said in a statement.<\/p>\n Irish police said a man in his 50s had died after a single-vehicle motorcycle collision in the west of Dublin. Emergency services were alerted shortly before 4.30am (Irish time) and the man was pronounced dead a short time after being treated at the scene.<\/p>\n Hansard is survived by his wife, Maire Saaritsa, and their three-year-old son Christy.<\/p>\n Reuters<\/p>\n Get the day\u2019s breaking news, entertainment ideas and a long read to enjoy. Sign up to receive our Evening Edition newsletter.<\/a><\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n![\"Irish](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/834410fef542b74bbf721083654512bd956ed75e.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Irish](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1785367752_683_834410fef542b74bbf721083654512bd956ed75e.jpeg\")
Irish singer-songwriter Glen Hansard with the Frames. He has died in a motorcycle crash.Daragh McDonagh<\/p>\n![\"Luke](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/16f6239210b59eb9235e50e444c19efb2818a66d.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n