Oscar-winning songwriter Glen Hansard killed in crash — SkimNews
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- Glen Hansard died in a single-vehicle motorcycle crash on Lower Road in Lucan, west Dublin, reported shortly before 04:30 local time; he was 56 and is survived by his wife and three-year-old son.
- Hansard and Markéta Irglová won the 2008 Academy Award for Best Original Song for 'Falling Slowly' from Once, a low-budget musical made for under £100,000 that grossed more than $20m worldwide and spawned a Broadway adaptation that won eight Tonys including Best Musical.
- Bruce Springsteen, Ed Sheeran, and Bono led global tributes — Springsteen said 'we are heartbroken,' Sheeran called Hansard 'an incredible force,' and Bono dubbed him 'the most musical and mischievous archangel of Ballymun.'
- The Frames, the Dublin rock band Hansard fronted from around 1990, released six studio albums including Irish chart-topper Burn The Maps and built a cult international following before Once sent his career stratospheric.
- Hansard's annual Christmas Eve busk, started in 2010 in Dublin to raise money for the homeless, drew Bono, Sinéad O'Connor and Shane MacGowan; the Simon Community charity said his 'commitment to social justice' would be central to his legacy.
- Taoiseach Micheál Martin and President Catherine Connolly both issued public statements, and a book of condolence opened at Dublin's Mansion House for Thursday and Friday.
Why it matters: The death of an Oscar winner who bridged Dublin street busking, Hollywood and Broadway philanthropy removes a rare figure from Irish cultural life. His annual Christmas Eve charity busk — which drew Bono and Sinéad O'Connor to raise money for the homeless — now leaves a specific institutional void, with the Simon Community calling him irreplaceable.
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