Glen Hansard dies at 56: Oscar-winning ‘Once’ singer killed in Dublin motorcycle crash

Irish singer-songwriter and Oscar winner Glen Hansard has died at the age of 56 following a motorcycle crash in Dublin, his management company confirmed on Wednesday.

Hansard, whose career stretched from busking on Dublin streets to winning an Academy Award for the song “Falling Slowly” from the acclaimed film Once, died following a road traffic accident in the Irish capital.

“With 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,” ATC Management said in a statement, while also thanking emergency services.


Irish police said a man in his 50s died following a single-vehicle motorcycle collision in west Dublin. Emergency services were called shortly before 4:30 a.m. local time. The man received treatment at the scene but was pronounced dead a short time later.

Tributes pour in for Oscar-winning Irish musician

News of Hansard’s death prompted an outpouring of grief from fans, with tributes appearing across social media for an artist who became one of Ireland’s most recognisable musical exports.

Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin said he was “deeply saddened” by Hansard’s death, remembering him as a gifted musician and actor who had made an important contribution to Irish culture over several decades.

For many fans, Hansard’s appeal came from a career that remained closely connected to his roots even after international success arrived. His journey began not in major recording studios or concert arenas, but on the streets of Dublin.

From Dublin busker to The Frames frontman

Hansard began busking as a teenager before forming The Frames in 1990. The rock band went on to build a devoted following in Ireland and beyond, establishing Hansard as a distinctive songwriter and performer.

Alongside his work with The Frames, he released music as a solo artist and later formed The Swell Season with Czech musician Markéta Irglová.

It was his collaboration with Irglová that would eventually take Hansard from the independent music scene to Hollywood’s biggest stage.

‘Once’ and ‘Falling Slowly’ transformed his career

Hansard reached a much wider international audience through the 2007 independent film Once, in which he starred alongside Irglová.

Made on a modest budget and filmed with an intimate, stripped-back style, Once followed a Dublin street musician who develops a relationship with a young Czech immigrant through their shared love of music.

The film’s songs became central to its success, particularly “Falling Slowly,” written and performed by Hansard and Irglová.

The track won Best Original Song at the 80th Academy Awards in 2008, producing one of the most memorable moments of Hansard’s career.

Taking the stage to accept the Oscar from John Travolta, an astonished Hansard told the audience: “What are we doing here? This is mad.”

The victory turned a song from a small Irish production into an international success and brought Hansard’s songwriting to listeners around the world.

‘Once’ later conquered Broadway

The story did not end with the film’s Oscar triumph.

Once was subsequently adapted for the stage, with the Broadway production becoming a major success in its own right. The musical won eight Tony Awards in 2012, including Best Musical, extending the cultural reach of the story and the music associated with Hansard and Irglová.

Hansard continued recording and performing after his breakthrough, releasing albums under his own name while maintaining the intensely personal songwriting style that had defined his earlier work.

Glen Hansard also appeared in ‘The Commitments’

Although Once became Hansard’s best-known screen performance, it was not his first film appearance.

Years earlier, he had played guitarist Outspan Foster in Alan Parker’s 1991 musical comedy-drama The Commitments, about a group of working-class Dublin musicians attempting to form a soul band.

Acting, however, remained secondary to music throughout his career.

From The Frames and The Swell Season to his solo records and Oscar-winning work on Once, Hansard built a career closely intertwined with Dublin and Ireland’s modern music scene.

His death at 56 brings an abrupt end to a journey that began with a teenage busker playing on Dublin streets and eventually carried him to the Academy Awards stage.