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 Commitmentsin 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 Oncewent 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:<a href="https://zdcs.link/aN5M3d?pageview_type=Standard&template=article&module=content_body&element=offer&item=text-link&element_label=The%20Commitments%20is%20now%20streaming%20free%20on%20YouTube.&object_type=article&object_uuid=01V7PHyN8mVXd8VVRrk70Fc&short_url=aN5M3d&u=https%3A%2F%2Fmashable.com%2Farticle-route-prefix%2Fentertainment%2Fglen-hansard-death-tributes” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank”>The Commitmentsis now streaming free on YouTube.
How to watch:<a href="https://zdcs.link/9lxV8E?pageview_type=Standard&template=article&module=content_body&element=offer&item=text-link&element_label=Cyrano%20is%20now%20streaming%20on%20Prime%20Video.&object_type=article&object_uuid=01V7PHyN8mVXd8VVRrk70Fc&short_url=9lxV8E&u=https%3A%2F%2Fmashable.com%2Farticle-route-prefix%2Fentertainment%2Fglen-hansard-death-tributes” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank”>Cyranois now streaming on Prime Video.
You can also enjoy Hansard’s music on Apple Music and Spotify.
Kristy Puchko is the Entertainment Editor at Mashable. Based in New York City, she’s an established film critic and entertainment reporter who has traveled the world on assignment, covered a variety of film festivals, co-hosted movie-focused podcasts, and interviewed a wide array of performers and filmmakers.
