Rolling Stone confirmed the death of Glen Hansard, the Irish singer-songwriter whose Oscar-winning performance in 2007's Once became a cultural phenomenon. He was 56.
According to Rolling Stone, Hansard died in a motorcycle crash in Dublin on Wednesday morning. Gardaí and emergency services were called to the scene of a single vehicle collision shortly before 4:30 a.m. His management, ATC Management, released a statement saying the family is "deeply shocked and heartbroken" and requesting privacy as the incident remains under investigation.
Hansard was a working musician first—busking Dublin's streets as a teenager, founding the Irish rock band The Frames in 1990, and touring relentlessly until his death. Once was the pinnacle, not the entirety, of his career.
The 2007 film was an intimate portrait of two struggling Dublin musicians slowly falling in love, starring Hansard and Markéta Irglová. Director John Carney earned the Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Falling Slowly." The film grossed $23 million worldwide. For a generation of cinephiles and music lovers, Once opened the door to Hansard's catalogue and The Frames' output.
Hansard was actively creating until the very end. According to Rolling Stone, he released the second volume of his album Don't Settle – Transmissions East & West last month. In 2022, he welcomed his son, Christy, with Finnish poet Maire Saaritsa—meaning he leaves behind a young child and partner.
The music community is paying tribute. The Waterboys' Mike Scott posted that Hansard "made your dreams come true." Hansard's story was one of no manufactured pop star, no overnight sensation—just a working musician who believed his own music could move the world.
