Glen Hansard, the Oscar-winning Irish musician who is best recognized for his acting role in the musical-drama, "Once", has tragically passed away at the age of fifty-six. He was involved in a motorcycle crash at the Strawberry Beds on the outskirts of Dublin on July 29th.
Born and raised in Ballymun in northern Dublin, Hansard acquired a guitar from an uncle as a teenager and taught himself how to play. After dropping out of school at thirteen, he initially made money busking on the streets. In 1990, Hansard formed a rock band, The Frames who made a name in the Dublin music scene. This led to Hansard being cast in Alan Parker's musical-comedy, "The Commitments" about a group of working-class youths who form a soul band set in Northern Dublin. The film went on to have critical and box-office success internationally.
Hansard decided to expand himself creatively in 2006 by joining a folk band, The Swell Season which included Czech multi-instrumentalist, Markéta Irglová. This would lead to Hansard, along with Irglová (who fell in love following the shooting), to co-star in John Carney's romantic musical, "Once" that told the story of two struggling musicians in Dublin. With original songs provided by the Swell Season, this low-budget film went on to receive great acclaim, appearing on several critics' top ten lists as one of the best films of the year and Hansard and Irglová went on to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song with "Falling Slowly". The couple would end their romantic relationship two years later but continued to perform together, recording two more albums which included "Forward" that was released last year.
Hansard would also go on record five solo albums during his career with his final release, "All That Was East Is West of Me Now" in 2023. He is survived by his wife, Finnish poet, Maire Saaritsa, who he married in 2022 and gave birth to their first child earlier that year.
