Remembering Glen Hansard (1970 - 2026)

I was shocked to learn this morning that the great musician Glen Hansard passed away at the age of 56 in a motorbike crash in Dublin. Like many others, I first learned of Hansard through John Carney's 2007 film Once. The Irish musical dealt with two struggling musicians in Dublin and starred Hansard and Marketa Irglova. It was a sensation, earning many times over its budget, and its centerpiece song, Falling Slowly, won the 2008 Academy Award for Best Original Song.

That was just the beginning of Once's legacy as it would be adapted into a stage musical in 2011. That version of the story received eleven Tony Award nominations, and won eight including Best Musical, Best Actor and Best Book.

Once is such a miracle. The films budget is apparent as soon as you hit play as the granny footage looks as though a bunch of friends got together and shot it on Super-8 cameras (It was actually shot on a Sony HVR-Z1E in 1080i resolution, so don't expect a Blu-ray or 4K to look especially good). Director Carney didn't have a lot of money for the production and this was a movie that called for extensive original songs. It took everyone squeezing every little thing they had creatively into it.

Hansard was more than Once though. Due to their connection during filming Once, Hansard and Irglova were romantically involved and went on to sing together as The Swell Season.

They would release three albums together– The Swell Season, Strict Joy, and Forward.

Carney knew of Hansard originally due to Hansard's band, The Frames. Hansard released seven albums with the band. A terrible tragedy, Hansard will be greatly missed. I've included some links to some other performances from Hansard that I've loved throughout the years.

Here he is at Shane MacGowan's funeral:

Covering Neutral Milk Hotel's Two-Headed Boy: