Glen Hansard, the Oscar-winning Irish musician and frontman of The Frames, has died at the age of 56. He was known for his poetic folk melodies and his vocal advocacy for social causes, particularly homelessness.
Hansard had just completed a set of summer gigs at Trinity College in Dublin three weeks ago, ahead of a planned tour of Ireland, Germany and Scandinavia in October.
Early career and busking beginnings
The Ballymun musician's career began as a teenager busking on Grafton Street, after his headteacher encouraged him to pursue music. He left school at 13 and later returned to the same area annually to lead charity busks for Dublin's homeless.
His first big break came with a role in the 1991 Irish comedy drama The Commitments, based on the book by Roddy Doyle. However, he later said he regretted taking part as it distracted from his music.
Success with The Frames and Oscar win
Hansard was the frontman of The Frames, who released six studio albums and had a major cultural impact in Ireland, supporting upcoming acts such as Damien Dempsey, Mundy and Paddy Casey. The band supported Bob Dylan on his 2007 tour of Australia and New Zealand.
He is probably best known for the Oscar-winning song 'Falling Slowly', co-written with Markéta Irglová, who co-starred with him in the film Once. In the film, Hansard played a busker on Grafton Street. In his Oscar acceptance speech, he urged people to 'make art'.
Personal life and later projects
Hansard married Finnish woman Maire Saaritsa in 2022. The couple have a three-year-old son, Christy, and split their time between Finland and Ireland. On RTÉ's Late Late Show this year, Hansard said leaving his son was 'the hardest bit' about going on tour.
He later formed the folk rock duo The Swell Season with Once co-star Irglová. His latest release, Don't Settle, includes 22 songs spanning more than three decades of his work, with reimagined versions of his songs with The Frames and The Swell Season.
Activism and legacy
Hansard was a vocal advocate for people experiencing homelessness, supporting organisations such as Dublin Simon Community and the Peter McVerry Trust through benefit concerts, fundraising busks and public campaigning on Ireland's housing crisis.
He was a member of the Home Sweet Home group, which occupied the empty Apollo House office block in 2016. Dean Scurry, who helped lead the occupation, told RTÉ Radio that about 10 years ago he met Hansard at a jazz gig and told him about the thousands of homeless people in Dublin.
'And he said, "What you want to do about it?" And I said, "Well, you might need to walk into hell with me". And he said, "I'll do that, I'll do that". And he done it in such a lovely and honest way.' Scurry said Hansard started ringing philanthropists in Los Angeles and Eddie Vedder, lead vocalist of Pearl Jam. 'That's what he could do in spades, he could weave a story.'
