Once Composer Glen Hansard Dies in Dublin Motorcycle Crash

Glen Hansard, cowriter of the Tony-winning Broadway musical Once, has died at the age of 56 following an early morning motorcycle crash in Dublin.

With former bandmate Markéta Irglová, Hansard starred in Once, written and directed for the screen by John Carney, the story of two struggling musicians, one Irish, one Czech, who fall in love in the streets of Dublin. Performing together in real life as the Swell Season, Hansard and Irglová won a Best Song Oscar for the film’s anthem, “Falling Slowly.”

Hansard and Irglová expanded their score for the Broadway production of Once, which earned the Best Musical Tony in 2012. The stage production, with book by Enda Walsh, ran for over 1,100 performances and has since been seen around the world. At the time of his death, Hansard and Irglová were reportedly working with John Doyle and David Hein on a musical adaptation of the Irish film Waking Ned Devine.

Born and raised in Dublin, Hansard formed the band the Frames in 1990, releasing seven albums between 1991-2006. He released several albums with Irglová as the Swell Season, the most recent one in 2025.

On screen, Hansard was seen in the Irish film The Commitments and the Peter Dinklage-led musical Cyrano.

He is survived by his partner, poet Maire Saaritsa, and their three-year-old son.