Oscar-winning songwriter Glen Hansard dead in motorcycle crash

Glen Hansard, an Academy Award-winning singer-songwriter, guitarist and actor who rose to international prominence in 2007, has died in a motorcycle crash. He was 56.

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Digital Editor

DUBLIN —

Glen Hansard, an Academy Award-winning singer-songwriter, has died, his management team said. He was 56.

Hansard died early Wednesday in a motorcycle crash in Dublin, Irish police say.

Officials said a man in his 50s died in a single-vehicle motorcycle crash in Lucan, on the outskirts of the Irish capital, just before 4:30 a.m. Wednesday.

ATC Management confirmed later Wednesday that the man was Hansard.

Hansard was an Irish singer-songwriter, guitarist and actor who rose to international prominence with the 2007 film “Once,” which he starred opposite Markéta Irglová.

The pair won the 2008 Academy Award for Best Original Song for “Falling Slowly.” The film later inspired the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Once.

Hansard was also the longtime frontman of the Irish rock band The Frames, co-founded the folk duo The Swell Season and released several solo albums including “Didn’t He Ramble” – which was nominated for a Grammy for Best Folk Album in 2016.

Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin is among those mourning Hansard’s death, calling him “a talented musician and actor who made a significant contribution to Ireland’s cultural landscape over many years.”