Oscar-winning Irish musician and actor Glen Hansard dies at 56 in Dublin motorcycle crash

‘Once’ star and The Frames frontman Glen Hansard killed in motorcycle accident

Last updated:
Manjusha Radhakrishnan, Entertainment, Lifestyle and Sport Editor
Glen Hansard performs at Lollapalooza in Chicago's Grant Park on Sunday, Aug. 3, 2014
Glen Hansard performs at Lollapalooza in Chicago's Grant Park on Sunday, Aug. 3, 2014
AP

Oscar-winning Irish musician and actor Glen Hansard has died at the age of 56 after a motorcycle accident in Dublin, according to The Independent.

The publication reported that Hansard was involved in a single-vehicle crash in Lucan, on the outskirts of the Irish capital, in the early hours of Wednesday. Emergency services responded to the scene, but he succumbed to his injuries shortly afterwards.

His management company, ATC Management, confirmed the news, saying his family was "deeply shocked and heartbroken" by the tragic loss.

Best known for his stirring songwriting and soulful performances, Hansard carved out a remarkable career across music and cinema. He won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2008 for "Falling Slowly," from the critically acclaimed film Once, in which he also starred alongside Czech singer-songwriter Markéta Irglová.

Hansard first came to prominence with his role in the 1991 film The Commitments before establishing himself as the longtime frontman of Irish rock band The Frames. He later formed the acclaimed folk duo The Swell Season with Irglová and released several solo albums, including Didn't He Ramble, which earned a Grammy nomination for Best Folk Album in 2016.

Manjusha Radhakrishnan
Manjusha RadhakrishnanEntertainment, Lifestyle and Sport Editor
Manjusha Radhakrishnan has been slaying entertainment news and celebrity interviews in Dubai for 18 years—and she’s just getting started. As Entertainment Editor, she covers Bollywood movie reviews, Hollywood scoops, Pakistani dramas, and world cinema. Red carpets? She’s walked them all—Europe, North America, Macau—covering IIFA (Bollywood Oscars) and Zee Cine Awards like a pro. She’s been on CNN with Becky Anderson dropping Bollywood truth bombs like Salman Khan Black Buck hunting conviction and hosted panels with directors like Bollywood’s Kabir Khan and Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh. She has also covered film festivals around the globe. Oh, and did we mention she landed the cover of Xpedition Magazine as one of the UAE’s 50 most influential icons? She was also the resident Bollywood guru on Dubai TV’s Insider Arabia and Saudi TV, where she dishes out the latest scoop and celebrity news. Her interview roster reads like a dream guest list—Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Shah Rukh Khan, Robbie Williams, Sean Penn, Deepika Padukone, Alia Bhatt, Joaquin Phoenix, and Morgan Freeman. From breaking celeb news to making stars spill secrets, Manjusha doesn’t just cover entertainment—she owns it while looking like a star herself.
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