Glen Hansard Killed in Motorcycle Crash

Glen Hansard, the beloved Irish songwriter and star of Once, was killed in a motorcycle crash in Dublin on Wednesday. He was 56 years old. Per The Irish Times, local authorities say the single-vehicle incident occurred around 4:30 a.m. local time. Hansard was treated at the scene, but pronounced deceased a short time later. Raised in Ballymun on Dublin’s north side, Hansard credited music with pulling him away from a troubled adolescence. After discovering Bob Dylan at age 12 and teaching himself guitar, he left school and began busking on the streets of Dublin, an experience he often described as his true musical education. Hansard first rose to prominence as the frontman of The Frames, which he formed in Dublin in 1989. Over the decades, the band built a devoted following and became one of Ireland’s most enduring and influential rock acts, known for songs such as “Revelate,” “Fitzcarraldo,” and “Headlong.” In 1991, after accompanying a friend to an audition, Hansard landed a role in Alan Parker’s musical comedy-drama The Commitments, playing guitarist Outspan Foster. Although the film brought him sudden international recognition, Hansard later acknowledged feeling uneasy about hi...