Oscar-winning Irish musician and activist Glen Hansard, has died aged just 55 in a motorcycle crash in the early hours of Wednesday morning, leaving his family 'shocked and heartbroken'12:09, 29 Jul 2026Updated 12:27, 29 Jul 2026Oscar-winning Irish singer Glen Hansard has died aged just 55 following a motorbike crash in Dublin. His management team have said that Glen's family are "deeply shocked and heartbroken" by his death.‌In a statement, they said: "With broken hearts, we announce the passing of Glen Hansard, who passed away in the early hours of this morning, following a road traffic accident in Dublin. Glen's family is deeply shocked and heartbroken by this tragic loss and respectfully requests privacy at this extremely difficult time.‌"The family is grateful for the support they have received and wishes to thank the emergency services who attended the scene. As this matter remains the subject of an active Garda investigation, no further comment will be made at this time."‌Irish police said a man in his 50s died in a single-vehicle motorcycle crash in Lucan on the outskirts of the Irish capital before 4.30am on Wednesday. The man, whom they did not name, was treated at the scene but was pronounced dead a short time later.Hansard, 56, was the frontman for the Irish band The Frames, featured in the Irish film The Commitments, and won an Academy Award for Best Original Song for Falling Slowly in 2007, which he co-wrote with Markéta Irglová for the movie Once.‌He was one half of the rock duo The Swell Season, and released solo albums, including Didn’t He Ramble, which was nominated for a Grammy for Best Folk Album in 2016. This year, Hnsard has been working on his Transmissions East and West show – a presentation built on communal spirit and energy which helped define his career.For years, he led the Christmas Eve charity busk outside The Gaiety Theatre in Dublin city, where members of the public gathered to see famous Irish musicians perform in aid of the Dublin Simon Community.‌He also took part in protests against Ireland’s housing crisis, a march to mark three years since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and the anti-austerity water charge protests in 2014.At the funeral of The Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan in 2023, Hansard performed Fairytale Of New York with Irish singer Lisa O'Neill, which prompted dancing in the aisles of the Co Tipperary church. He is the father of a three-year-old boy, Christy.‌Speaking to The Irish Times in 2023 about becoming a dad aged 52, Glen said: "For 52 years I was the most important person in my own life, and then suddenly I got a complete perspective shift, and I'm absolutely loving it. To be of service to this young mind, to this young life, is just – I can't believe I didn't do it before now. Isn’t it true that when the student is ready, the teacher appears?"In 2015, he said his mum had been the reason for his success after she paid for him to make his first record. Catherine took out a loan so that The Frames could launch their career. He explained: "I got to the point – and I don’t know how I got there – where I needed to make a demo of my own songs, so I went to Sun Studios and asked them how much it would cost."And my mother went to the bank manager and asked could she get the house done up. The bank manager gave her £3,000 (€3,800), £2,000 (€2,540) of which we spent on the demo." After recording the record in Dublin, he was invited to listen to it with Ronnie Wood, Stewart Copeland and former chief of Island Records, Denny Cordell, at the home of Marina Guinness.‌Despite Wood being a member of The Rolling Stones, Hansard had no idea who he was, but he was completely taken aback by Copeland.In a statement, Gardaí said: "Gardaí are appealing for witnesses following a fatal single-vehicle collision on Lower Road, Strawberry Beds, Lucan, Dublin on Wednesday 29th July 2026."Shortly before 4:30am, Gardaí and emergency services were alerted to a collision involving a motorcycle on the R109 Lower Road, between Tinkers Hill (R121) and Rugged Lane.‌"The motorcyclist, a man in his 50s, was treated at the scene but was pronounced deceased a short time later. The scene has been preserved for examination by Garda Forensic Collision Investigators. Local traffic diversions are currently in place."Gardaí are appealing to anyone who witnessed the incident to come forward. Road users who may have relevant camera footage (including dash-cam) and were travelling in the area at the time are asked to make this footage available to investigating Gardaí."Anyone with information is asked to contact Lucan Garda Station at (01) 666 7300, the Garda Confidential Line at 1800 666 111, or any Garda station."Article continues belowIf you have been affected by this story, Cruse Bereavement Support offers free help to make sense of how you are feeling. Click here for their website or call 0808 808 1677.Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.