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BroadwayWorld is saddened to report that Glen Hansard, who co-wrote the musical Once and starred in the 2007 film of the same name, has died at age 56. According to multiple reports, he died after a single-vehicle motorcycle crash in Dublin, Ireland on 29 July.
Glen Hansard starred in the film version of the musical Once (2007), which earned several major awards including the Academy Award for Best Original Song for “Falling Slowly” with co-writer and co-star Markéta Irglová. He co-wrote the music and lyrics for the stage production of Once, alongside Irglová. The musical premiered at the New York Theatre Workshop in 2011, before transferring to Broadway in 2012, and went on to have subsequent runs in the UK, Ireland, Australia, South Korea, and several U.S. tours. The Broadway production received eleven Tony Award nominations, winning eight, including Best Musical.
Hansard began his music career as a street busker in Dublin before forming the band The Frames in 1990. He made his acting debut as Outspan Foster in the film The Commitments (1991). In 2003, he hosted the Irish television music series Other Voices: Songs from a Room.
In 2006, Hansard released his first album outside of The Frames, The Swell Season, in collaboration with Markéta Irglová. He also contributed to the charity album The Cake Sale (2006) and recorded songs for the Even Better than the Real Thing compilation series. In 2007, he recorded Bob Dylan’s “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere” for the soundtrack of I’m Not There.
Hansard voiced an Irish busker in an episode of The Simpsons and released the Swell Season album Strict Joy (2009). In 2011, he toured with Eddie Vedder, performed at Pearl Jam’s PJ20 festival, and announced work on his debut solo album, Rhythm and Repose, which was released in 2012.
Hansard contributed songs to several film soundtracks, including “This Gift” for The Odd Life of Timothy Green (2012), “Take the Heartland” and “Come Away to the Water” for The Hunger Games (2012), and “On Love,” recorded with Lisa Hannigan for Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet (2015). He also guest-starred as himself on Parenthood (2012), performing “High Hope.”
He most recently released “Don+t Settle – Transmissions West”, the second volume of his new album “Don+t Settle – Transmissions East & West”, on June 26th, 2026, via Plateau/Secretly Distribution. Recorded over two nights in April 2025 in front of an audience at Berlin’s Funkhaus, the album’s 20-song tracklist features live reinterpretations of songs from across his career, including his four solo albums, his work with The Frames, as well as half of the Oscar-winning duo The Swell Season (with Markéta Irglová).
In addition to his solo work, Hansard has collaborated with numerous artists, including Bruce Springsteen (2013), Ed SHeeran (2015), Eddie Vedder (2022), Bono and Markéta Irglová on the charity single “Take Heart” (2022), and Lisa O’Neill during a performance of “Fairytale of New York” at Shane MacGowan’s funeral in 2023. He also performed at Joni 75: A Birthday Celebration in 2018.
