Tragic news out of Dublin: Glen Hansard, the Oscar–winning Irish musician, has died in a motorbike crash. He was 56.
In life, Hansard was the frontman of The Frames, and made his screen debut in the Irish musical dramedy The Commitments in 1991. But his global breakthrough came in 2006, as he fronted John Carney‘s Once, an indie romance about a busker who falls for a fellow musician (Markéta Irglová) in Dublin. Hansard, a former busker himself, not only won praise from critics for his work in the film, but also an Academy Award alongside Irglová for Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song. That song was their duet, “Falling Slowly.”
The pair went on to form the Grammy–nominated folk band The Swell Season and tour, while Once went on to become a Broadway musical.
The BBC notes Hansard also was a key figure in a fundraiser for unhoused people, participating in the annual Christmas Eve charity busk in support of the Dublin Simon Community. They included condolences from the organization, reading in part, “Glen’s talents will indeed be his legacy but so too will his commitment to social justice. We will be forever indebted to him for the difference he made in the lives of the people we serve.”
On social media, more friends and fans are sharing their admiration for Hansard and their grief over his passing.
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To revel in more of Hansard’s work, we’d recommend streaming The Commitments, Once, or Cyrano, in which Hansard steals the movie as a singing guard.
How to watch: Once is now streaming on BroadwayHD, which offers a free trial on Amazon, where it’s also available for rental or purchase.
How to watch: The Commitments is now streaming free on YouTube.
How to watch: Cyrano is now streaming on Prime Video.
You can also enjoy Hansard’s music on Apple Music and Spotify.
