July 29, 2026 / 9:33 AM EDT
/ CBS/AP
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Academy Award-winning Irish singer-songwriter Glen Hansard died in a motorcycle crash in Dublin early Wednesday, his management said. He was 56."With broken hearts, we announce the passing of Glen Hansard in the early hours of this morning," ATC Management said in a statement to CBS News. 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 4:30 a.m. on Wednesday. The man, who they did not name, was treated at the scene but was pronounced dead a short time later. CBS News partner BBC News reported that police are asking witnesses from the crash to come forward. Hansard was born in Dublin in 1970, according to the BBC, and busked in the city. He made his acting debut in the 1991 film "The Commitments," playing Outspan Foster, a young working-class member of a Dublin soul band. Hansard again combined music and acting in the 2007 indie musical film "Once," co-writing the movie's songs with Markéta Irglová. The pair also starred in the film. Hansard and Irglová won the 2008 Oscar for best original song for the number "Falling Slowly." A stage adaptation of the musical ran on Broadway from 2012 to 2015, winning eight Tony Awards, and has played around the world.
