Irish singer-songwriter Glen Hansard has died in a motorcycle crash in Dublin. He was 56.
Hansard is best known for starring in the 2007 film, Once, about two buskers in Dublin who form a musical and romantic relationship. He and co-star Markéta Irglová won an Academy Award for Best Original Song for “Falling Slowly.”
According to police, his motorcycle was involved in a single-vehicle crash in Lucan, outside of Dublin. Emergency services arrived on the scene at around 4:30 AM and treated Hansard, who passed away shortly after.
Police are asking for witnesses to come forward with any accounts of how the accident happened.
Hansard and Irglová formed the Grammy-nominated duo Swell Season in 2005, and continued to perform on an off throughout the years. The band was currently active at the time of his death.
Born in Dublin in 1970, Hansard dropped out of school at 13 and began busking on the streets. In 1990 he formed The Frames, the long-running indie rock band he fronted for 36 years.
In 1991, he starred as Outspan Foster in Alan Parker’s award-winning cult film The Commitments about a working class, pub rock band.
A stage adaptation of Once, featuring the music of Hansard and Irglová, opened on Broadway in 2012 and went on to win eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
Hansard is survived by his partner, Maire Saaritsa, and their three-year-old son.