Oscar-winning musician Glen Hansard dies in motorcycle crash

DUBLIN — Irish ​musician Glen Hansard, who won an Oscar for best original song in 2008 for the indie film "Once" and was lead singer for rock group The ‌Frames, died in a motorcycle crash at the age of 56 early on Wednesday, his management company said.

Fans ⁠paid tribute online and Prime Minister ​Micheal Martin said he was deeply saddened ⁠to hear of the death of "a talented musician and actor who made a ‌significant contribution to Ireland's ‌cultural landscape over many years."

The singer-songwriter began busking on the streets ⁠of his native Dublin as a teen before ⁠forming the popular Irish band The Frames in 1990.

He released a number of albums under his own name and as part of duo The Swell Season with fellow Oscar winner and "Once" co-star Marketa Irglova.

The pair's performances in the low-budget movie shot on handheld camcorders where a street musician falls in love ‌with a young Czech immigrant, and their Oscar-winning ​duet "Falling Slowly," brought Hansard's music to a wider audience.

The film, which featured a number of other songs composed and performed by Hansard and Irglova, was turned into a hit Broadway musical version that won eight Tony Awards in 2012.

Accepting his Oscar from presenter John Travolta, a stunned Hansard said: "What are we doing here? This is mad."

His only acting experience prior to "Once" was as a band ​member in Alan Parker's 1991 hit "The Commitments."

"With broken hearts we announce the passing of Glen ‌Hansard who passed ‌away, in ⁠the early hours of this morning, following a road-traffic accident in Dublin," ATC Management said in a statement that thanked emergency services.

Irish police said a man in his 50s had died after a single-vehicle motorcycle collision in the west of Dublin. ‌Emergency services were alerted shortly ​before 9:30 p.m. MDT Tuesday and the man was ‌pronounced dead a short ⁠time after being ​treated at the scene.

Contributing: Conor Humphries

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