DUBLIN (AP) — Academy Award-winning Irish singer-songwriter Glen Hansard died in a motorcycle crash in 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 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 1991 movie “The Commitments” and won an Oscar in 2008 for the song “Falling Slowly” from the film “Once,” in which he starred alongside Markéta Irglová.
FILE/This image was processed using digital filters) Glen Hansard braves the rain with fans at Lollapalooza 2014 at Grant Park on August 3, 2014 in Chicago, Illinois. (Timothy Hiatt/Getty)
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.
For years, Hansard led the Christmas Eve charity busk outside Dublin’s Gaiety Theatre, where members of the public gathered to see famous Irish musicians perform in aid of the Dublin Simon Community.
At the funeral of The Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan in 2023, Hansard performed The Pogues’ song “Fairytale Of New York” with Irish singer Lisa O’Neill, which prompted 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.