Glen Hansard has sadly passed away at the age of 56. The Oscar-winning musician was involved in a motorcycle crash on Wednesday, July 29. The crash occurred in County Dublin, Ireland, at 4:30 am local time.
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Hansard's management has released a statement confirming his passing.
"With broken hearts, we announce the passing of Glen Hansard in the early hours of this morning," the statement from his management read, via The New York Post. "We are still dealing with the shock of it all, so we kindly ask that the privacy of Glen's family, colleagues and friends is respected at this difficult time."
Hansard won an Oscar for Best Original Song for the indie film "Once." He starred in the indie movie, too.
"Irish Prime Minister Michael Martin mourned Hansard's sudden death, calling him '"'a talented musician and actor who made ?a significant contribution to Ireland's cultural landscape over many years,'" the New York Post reports.
Before he was an Oscar-winning musician, Hansard began his career as a busker on the streets of Dublin. He first found success with The Frames in 1990. The group went on to release a total of six studio albums. Hansard then became part of The Swell Season, a folk duo, along with "Once" co-star Marketa Irglova.
The Frames Still Draw Tens of Thousands of Monthly Listeners
Despite The Frames no longer releasing music or touring, the group still draws a respectable number of hits on streaming platforms. According to Spotify, The Frames average over 79,000 monthly listeners. That number is likely significantly higher once accounting for other music streaming platforms such as Apple Music.
Nevertheless, Spotify is the only streaming platform to publicly display listening numbers. The streaming giant has "Seven Day Mile" as the group's most popular song, earning over 5 million hits. "Revelate" is a close second, earning 4.9 million streams, while "Falling Slowly" sits third with 4.7 million.
Currently, there's no further information regarding Hansard's passing or whether an investigation will take place. Furthermore, no details regarding an impending funeral have been made public. That information will likely remain private for family and close friends.
