Glen Hansard, the Oscar-winning songwriter and star of John Carney’s Once, has died at only fifty-six years old following a motorcycle accident in Dublin. Hansard, who led his own band, The Frames, made his big-screen debut in Alan Parker’s classic The Commitments. However, it was his starring role in Carney’s Once that brought him his greatest fame.
The film, which was made for $150,000, was bought by Fox Searchlight and became an unexpected international hit, raking in more than $23 million. The film starred Hansard as a busker who eventually teams up with a young Czech flower seller, played by Markéta Irglová, with whom he falls in love. The two wrote and performed their own songs for the film, with one of them, “Falling Slowly,” winning the Oscar for Best Original Song. Hansard and Irglová also formed their own band, The Swell Season.
Following Once, Hansard became highly sought-after as a musician, joining Eddie Vedder on a solo tour and later performing with Pearl Jam. He also contributed songs to The Hunger Games soundtrack, sang with Bruce Springsteen, and released a single with Bono and Irglová protesting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He also had a singing role in Joe Wright’s musical Cyrano. Carney’s latest film, Power Ballad, included a lovely nod to Once, with a street busker performing “Falling Slowly” at the end of the film.
On a personal note, Once has always been one of my favorite films. I remember being sent to see it on assignment for JoBlo, knowing nothing about it, and being blown away by the music and its simple, romantic story, which I found highly inspirational. I’ve returned to it many times since, and to see Hansard die so young and so unexpectedly is a true tragedy. He will be missed. His talent was one of a kind, and if you haven’t seen Once—or The Commitments, for that matter—you should check them out.
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