Glen Hansard, Irish Musician and “Once” Star Who Won Oscar for ‘Falling Slowly,’ Dies in Motorcycle Crash at 56
Glen Hansard, Irish Musician and “Once” Star Who Won Oscar for ‘Falling Slowly,’ Dies in Motorcycle Crash at 56
Dave QuinnWed, July 29, 2026 at 12:56 PM UTC
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Glen Hansard in 2019Credit: Luciano Viti/Getty -
Oscar-winning Irish musician Glen Hansard died at 56 after a single-vehicle motorcycle crash in Dublin
Hansard rose to international fame through Once, winning the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2008 for the film’s signature ballad, “Falling Slowly”
The Frames frontman leaves behind a lasting musical legacy, as well as his partner, poet Maire Saaritsa, and their 3-year-old son
Oscar-winning Irish musician Glen Hansard, who rose from busking on the streets of Dublin to international acclaim as the star of Once and co-writer of the Academy Award-winning song “Falling Slowly,” has died. He was 56.
Hansard was killed in a single-vehicle motorcycle crash in Dublin during the early hours of Wednesday, July 29, the BBC reported. Emergency services responded to the scene shortly before 4:30 a.m. local time after the crash on Lower Road in Lucan, west of the city.
Police are appealing for witnesses as they continue to investigate the incident, the outlet reported. PEOPLE has reached out to authorities for comment.
“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,” his representatives at ATC Management told PEOPLE in a statement.
“Glen’s family is deeply shocked and heartbroken by this tragic loss and respectfully requests privacy at this extremely difficult time. The family is grateful for the support they have received and wishes to thank the emergency services who attended the scene.”
Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová in ‘Once’
Hansard was born in Dublin in 1970. After leaving school as a teenager, the musician spent years performing on the streets of the Ireland capital before forming the rock band The Frames in 1990. He made his acting debut the following year as guitarist Outspan Foster in Alan Parker’s The Commitments, a role that introduced him to audiences far beyond Ireland.
Hansard broke through internationally with 2007’s Once, the acclaimed indie musical in which he starred opposite Czech musician Markéta Irglová. The film follows a Dublin street musician and a Czech immigrant whose shared love of songwriting draws them together, with Hansard and Irglová performing the original music themselves as The Swell Season.
The film became an unexpected sensation after premiering at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won the World Cinema Audience Award. Hansard and Irglová’s haunting ballad “Falling Slowly” went on to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 80th Oscars in 2008, cementing Hansard’s place in music and film history.
Markéta Irglová and Glen Hansard at the 2008 Academy AwardsCredit: Michael Caulfield/WireImage
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“Falling Slowly” remains the work most closely associated with his career.
Once later found new life on Broadway, where its stage adaptation — featuring Hansard and Irglová’s songs — won eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
Music remained Hansard’s primary focus throughout the rest of his career. Alongside his work with The Frames and The Swell Season, he released a string of solo albums, beginning with 2012’s Rhythm and Repose. His follow-up, Didn’t He Ramble, received a Grammy nomination for Best Folk Album, and he later released Between Two Shores (2018), This Wild Willing (2019) and All That Was East Is West of Me Now (2023).
In 2025, he reunited with Irglová for The Swell Season’s first new studio album in more than a decade, Forward.
He occasionally returned to the screen as well, contributing music to projects such as Todd Haynes’ I’m Not There and Sean Penn’s Flag Day, while making guest appearances on shows including The Simpsons, Parenthood and The Last Man on Earth.
Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin said on x he was “deeply saddened” by the musician’s death, calling Hansard “a talented musician and actor who made a significant contribution to Ireland’s cultural landscape over many years.”
“My sincere sympathies to his family, friends, and fans,” Martin added.
Waterboys frontman Mike Scott also paid tribute, writing on x, “Travel on well, Buddy. You made your dreams come true.”
Hansard is survived by his partner, poet Maire Saaritsa, and their 3-year-old son.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
