Glen Hansard, the Oscar-winning singer songwriter who was best known as the frontman of the popular Irish band the Frames, died on Wednesday in a motorcycle crash in Dublin. He was 56.
His death was confirmed on social media by Micheál Martin, Ireland’s prime minister, known in the country as the taoiseach. “Deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Glen Hansard,” Mr. Martin wrote. “A talented musician and actor who made a significant contribution to Ireland’s cultural landscape over many years.”
Representatives for Mr. Hansard did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Irish police issued a news release on Wednesday appealing for witnesses to the crash in the Lucan area of West Dublin. The crash, involving a motorcycle and car, occurred shortly before 4:30 a.m., the news release said. It did not name Mr. Hansard, but said that “the motorcyclist, a man in his 50s, was treated at the scene but was pronounced deceased a short time later.”
On Wednesday, the Irish news media reported that Mr. Hansard was the victim.
Mr. Hansard, who began performing as a busker on the streets of Dublin, formed the Frames in 1990, and the band went on to have multiple hit albums in Ireland. He came to more international fame after starring in “Once,” a movie about an Irish street musician and the woman he falls for. He and his co-star, Marketa Irglova, won a 2008 Academy Award for best song for “Falling Slowly,” which is featured in the film.
Soon, “Once” became a Broadway show that won multiple Tony Awards.
A.O. Scott, in a review of “Once” for The New York Times, said it was a simple film about a busker (Mr. Hansard) who meets a Czech pianist (Ms. Irglova) while out on the streets, and the two then become collaborators and potential lovers. “You can’t take your eyes off them,” A.O. Scott said, describing the movie as “almost perfect.”
Mr. Hansard previously had a small role in “The Commitments,” and said in a 2007 interview with The Times that he had been reluctant to act again. “I’m a real believer in sticking to your craft,” he said. He said he had eventually accepted on the stipulation that he could flee if the first few days of filming didn’t work out.
Mr. Hansard grew up in a working-class household in Dublin. His father, a heavy drinker, was prone to bouts of violence, the singer said in a 2012 interview with The Times.
When an uncle left a guitar behind after being sent to prison, Mr. Hansard picked up the instrument and soon fell in love with the music of Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and Van Morrison. He then dropped out of school to busk and play in bands.
As well as the Frames, Mr. Hansard played with the Swell Season, a folk duo he formed with Ms. Irglova, his “Once” co-star and onetime partner.
Mr. Hansard said in the 2012 interview that he always found himself singing “within the vernacular of the love song,” but that his music wasn’t simply about romance.
“It’s also the relationship between me and my country, me and my friends, me and myself, me and my god,” he said. “It’s not always about me and my girl. That’s just the language I’ve gotten used to using.”
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