By Irish musician and actor Glen Hansard dies in motorcycle crash
Irish musician Glen Hansard has died in a motorcycle crash. (AP: Steve C. Mitchell/Invision)
In short:
Irish musician and actor Glen Hansard has died in a motorcycle crash aged 56.
He is best known for his role in The Commitments and as the frontman of The Frames.
His management said Hansard’s family was “deeply shocked and heartbroken” by his death.
Irish musician Glen Hansard, who won a Best Original Song Oscar and was lead singer for rock group The Frames, has died in a motorcycle crash at the age of 56.
Irish police said a man in his 50s had died after a single-vehicle motorcycle collision in the west of Dublin.
Emergency services were alerted shortly before 04:30 am local time and the man was pronounced dead a short time after being treated at the scene.
Newstalk Radio and the Irish Independent reported that Hansard died in the crash.
In a statement ot the ABC, ATC Management “with broken hearts” confirmed Hansard’s death.
“We are still dealing with the shock of it all, so we kindly ask that the privacy of Glen’s family, colleagues and friends is respected at this difficult time,” a spokesperson said.
Glen Hansard was the frontman of The Frames. (Reuters: Stephan Savoia/Pool)
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.
He was the long-serving frontman 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,” Mr Martin posted on X.
Reuters/AP
Originally published on www.abc.net.au — View original