‘Once’ Oscar winner and Irish musician Glen Hansard dies in motorcycle crash
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DUBLIN (AP) — Irish singer-songwriter Glen Hansard, who won an Academy Award for the 2007 film “Once,” died in a motorcycle crash on the outskirts of Dublin early Wednesday, his management said. He was 56.
ATC Management told broadcaster RTE Hansard’s family was “deeply shocked and heartbroken” by his death.
Irish police said a man in his 50s died in single vehicle motorcycle crash in Lucan on the western outskirts of the Irish capital before 4:30 a.m. on Wednesday. The man, who they did not name, was treated at the scene but was pronounced dead a short time later.
Hansard combined acting and a musical career. He played a member of a Dublin soul band in the hit 1991 movie “The Commitments” and won an Oscar in 2008 for the song “Falling Slowly” from the indie musical “Once,” in which he starred alongside Markéta Irglová.
He was long-serving front man for rock band The Frames, half of rock duo The Swell Season and released solo albums including “Didn’t He Ramble,” which was nominated for a Grammy for Best Folk Album in 2016.
Hansard started out as a busker on the streets of Dublin, and he became famous for leading the Christmas Eve charity busk outside Dublin’s Gaiety Theatre, where members of the public gathered to see famous Irish musicians perform.
Former Irish president Michael D. Higgins said Hansard was a “wonderful musician and performer” who had a gift for storytelling who “also placed great emphasis throughout his life to the importance of tackling the problems of society, including regular work in drawing attention to the problem of homelessness.”
At the funeral of The Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan in 2023, Hansard performed a rousing version of The Pogues’ song “Fairytale Of New York” with Irish singer Lisa O’Neill that had the congregation dancing in the aisles of the church.
Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin said he was “deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Glen Hansard.”
“A talented musician and actor who made a significant contribution to Ireland’s cultural landscape over many years,” Martin posted on X.
Hansard is survived by his wife, Maire Saaritsa, and their 3-year-old son, Christy.
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A previous version of this story incorrectly stated Hansard was awarded an Oscar in 2007. He received the award in 2008.