Irish singer-songwriter Glen Hansard, 56, died in the early morning of July 29 in a motorcycle crash.
The Oscar winner’s death was announced by his management company in a social media post this week, with fellow musicians mourning Hansard.
“With broken hearts we announce the passing of Glen Hansard in the early hours of this morning,” a July 29 post on his verified Instagram account said. “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.”
The Irish singer is survived by his wife and son, Entertainment Weekly reported.
Here’s what to know about Glen Hansard.
How did Glen Hansard die?
Glen Hansard died in a motorcycle crash early July 29 at age 56, according to his management company. ATC Management said in a statement that Hansard died “following a road-traffic accident in Dublin (Ireland),” thanking emergency services.
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 4:30 a.m. on July 29 and the man was pronounced dead a short time after being treated at the scene.
Who was Glen Hansard?
Born Glen Hansard in Dublin’s Ballymun suburb, he was an award-winning Irish singer-songwriter, actor and film score composer, according to IMDb. Hansard was the front man of Irish rock band The Frames in the 1990s, followed by forming folk rock duo The Swell Season in the 2000s with Czech singer and pianist Markéta Irglová.
Hansard and Irglová won an Oscar for best original song for their song “Falling Slowly,” in the Irish musical film “Once” at the 2008 Academy Awards. The duo starred as an Irish-Czech musical couple falling in love and bonding over music.
Speaking with USA TODAY about the film in 2007, Hansard noted “Once” was made “on our time with little money in a very simple way,” and “we didn’t have to answer to anybody.” Reflecting on his own journey as an artist, he also said at the time, “My whole thing was I’m either going to be a tramp sitting under a bridge in Dublin, begging with a bottle of whiskey in my hand. Or I’m going to be a success in music. There’s no in-between. I’m still waiting to see which one is going to happen.”
He is survived by his wife Maire Saaritsa and the couple’s son Christy, Entertainment Weekly reported.
Reuters and USA TODAY contributed.
Contact Jenna Prestininzi: jprestininzi@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Irish singer Glen Hansard dead. What happened to Oscar winner
Reporting by Jenna Prestininzi, USA TODAY NETWORK / Detroit Free Press
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By Jenna Prestininzi, USA TODAY NETWORK | USA TODAY Network
