Glen Hansard, Irish musician who won Oscar for 'Once,' dies in
motorcycle crash
[July 30, 2026]
By JILL LAWLESS
LONDON (AP) — Irish singer-songwriter Glen Hansard, who won an Academy
Award for the 2007 film “Once,” died in a motorcycle crash on the
outskirts of Dublin early Wednesday, his management said. He was 56.
ATC Management told broadcaster RTE Hansard's family was “deeply shocked
and heartbroken.”
News of his death brought tributes from fellow musicians including Bruce
Springsteen, who said on Instagram he was “heartbroken” at the loss of
“a great musician, a good friend and a generous and gracious man.”
Irish police said a man in his 50s died in single-vehicle motorcycle
crash in Lucan, on the western outskirts of the Irish capital, before
4:30 a.m. Wednesday. The man, who they did not name, was treated at the
scene but pronounced dead a short time later.
Hansard combined acting and a musical career. He played a member of a
Dublin soul band in the hit 1991 movie “The Commitments” and won an
Oscar in 2008 for the song “Falling Slowly,” which he co-wrote for the
indie musical “Once" with co-star Markéta Irglová.
“Once,” a love story about two struggling musicians, was later adapted
for Broadway, again with songs by Hansard and Irglová. It won eight Tony
Awards in 2012, including best musical.
Hansard was long-serving front man for rock band The Frames, half of
rock duo The Swell Season with Irglová and released solo albums
including “Didn’t He Ramble,” which was nominated for a Grammy for Best
Folk Album in 2016.
Ireland's President Catherine Connolly said he was one of Ireland’s
great singer-songwriters.
“Glen was one of the vital driving influences of the Irish music world,
bringing people together in the sharing of live music," Connolly said.
"He will be sorely missed by all who knew him or experienced his work.”
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Marketa Irglova, left, and Glen Hansard appear after performing
during the 80th Academy Awards in Los Angeles on Feb. 24, 2008. (AP
Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)
 Actor-comedian Chris O’Dowd said
Hansard’s “energizing melodies and soulful, searching voice made the
tough times more manageable, the stagnant times more beautiful, and
the joyful times even more memorable.”
Hansard started out as a busker on the streets of Dublin. He became
famous for leading the Christmas Eve busk outside Dublin's Gaiety
Theatre, where members of the public gathered to see famous Irish
musicians perform in aid of a homelessness charity.
Former Irish president Michael D. Higgins said Hansard was a
“wonderful musician and performer” who also "placed great emphasis
throughout his life to the importance of tackling the problems of
society."
At the funeral of The Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan in 2023,
Hansard performed a rousing version of The Pogues' song “Fairytale
Of New York” with Irish singer Lisa O’Neill that had the
congregation dancing in the aisles of the church.
Hansard is survived by his wife, Finnish poet Maire Saaritsa, and
their 3-year-old son, Christy.
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