Tributes are pouring in for Oscar-winning Irish singer-songwriter and The Frames frontman Glen Hansard, who was killed in a motorcycle crash in the early hours of Wednesday July 29 near Dublin. Hansard was 56.
Hansard’s career crossed three decades and included the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2008 with Marketa Irglova, which featured in the film Once. The duo released three albums as The Swell Season, and Hansard also encountered success as a solo artist. His 2016 album Didn’t He Ramble was nominated for a Grammy in 2016. Hansard toured Australia multiple times as a solo artist and with The Frames.
In a statement, ATC Management, who represented Hansard said his family was “deeply shocked and heartbroken” and that, “The family is grateful for the support they have received and wishes to thank the emergency services who attended the scene.”
A post on Hansard’s Facebook page 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.”
Hansard, the father of three-year-old boy Christy, was also noted for his work in raising money for the homeless. In 2010, he started an annual Christmas Eve busk in Dublin City Centre, which supported The Simon Community. The event attracted high-profile musicians including Bono, Sinéad O’Connor and Shane McGowan.
Bruce Springsteen posted the following tribute: “Here on E Street, we are heartbroken over the death of Glen Hansard. We met in Ireland many years ago and he was always nothing but a great musician, a good friend and a generous and gracious man. Always positive, smiling and ready to sing. God bless him and his loved ones.”
Amanda Palmer posted: “Oh god….I just broke down weeping at the news that we have lost Glen Hansard. Glen was a fellow busker, a soul-scraper of a songwriter, a breath-exploding powerhouse on any stage…he strummed the guitar like he was killing something; he played and sang with this whole body, he shook the audience awake. His songs were screams into the heart of the matter. He emanated uber-human presence. He blasted feelings; like Nick Cave, like Ani. He was one of my favorite live performers. He never phoned it in.”
Bono posted on the U2 FB page: “Seriously, he was such an angelic presence… not otherworldly…in fact, very present this presence… A smiling rascal if you needed him to be… this most musical and mischievous archangel of Ballymun… no airs, plenty of graces…”