Almost two decades ago, my future wife and I made our first trip to Ireland, a place where we each had ancestors. As part of my preparation, I rewatched the recent movie Once (2007), starring Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová as two struggling musicians in Dublin. Although Hansard, born April 21, 1970, was already known by many for his work with The Frames, like many in the U.S., I first fully discovered him from Once (although had seen his work in movie The Commitments previously). From Once, a sweet love story with a beautiful ending, he won an Oscar for the song “Falling Slowly,” which he wrote with Markéta Irglová, his co-star and Swell Season partner.
Anyway, as we boarded our airplane to Ireland from New York City, who ended up next to me in line but Glen Hansard, waiting to board with a guitar on his back. I made a brief joke about hoping he was being treated well, and we exchanged brief pleasantries. It was a brief encounter, but a nice one, and started off making the trip a little extra special. I last saw him at the airport in Dublin near the baggage claim, walking through the airport with his guitar on his back, much like he looked the last time we see him in Once.
That brings us to the sad news this morning that Hansard died in a motorcycle crash in Dublin early this morning, July 29, 2026, at the age of 56. He leaves behind his wife, a young child, friends, family, and many fans. His distinctive voice lost to us, but his music (and film work) will live on.
In addition to his wonderful original work, Hansard was known also as a great interpreter (including some great Springsteen covers) and duet partner. Even after he became famous, he was often caught busking on the streets of Dublin.
He seemed to truly love music and brought that joy to his listeners. Below he sings Van Morrison’s “Into the Mystic” with Irglová.
“Yeah, when that fog horn blows / I will be coming home.” RIP.
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