Glen Hansard – the Irish singer songwriter and guitarist of bands such as The Frames and the Swell Season – has passed away. He was 56.

Hansard was involved in a single-vehicle motorcycle crash in the early morning hours in Dublin. Around 4:30am today, Wednesday July 29, emergency services received word of the crash. Hansard was pronounced dead at the scene.

ATC Management, which represented Hansard, said in a statement (via the BBC):

“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.”

Hansard rose to indie rock prominence in the 90s with his band The Frames, who went on to release eight albums. He also worked with close collaborator Marketa Irglova in The Swell Season, who released four records, including last year's Forward, which was their first in 16 years.

Hansard and Irglova shot to international fame when they co-starred in the 2006 film Once, which won the pair an Oscar for "Falling Slowly," and led to a Tony-winning musical adaptation (which also netted Hansard a Grammy).

Outside of his collaborations, Hansard – ever the restless creative spirit – also had a robust solo career. In 2023, he put out his fifth LP, All That Was East Is West of Me Now. This year, he had also put out two compilations of live material, Don+t Settle (one dubbed Transmission East and one dubbed Transmission West).

Hansard, along with his partner Maire Saaritsa and their young son, had been living in Dublin and Helsinki.