Glen Hansard, Irish singer-songwriter known for The Frames and the film Once, dies in motorcycle crash at 53

Glen Hansard, the Irish singer-songwriter best known as the frontman of the band The Frames and for his role in the 2007 film Once, died July 29 in a motorcycle crash, according to an NPR Culture remembrance published July 31. The piece noted that Hansard got his start as a street busker in Dublin before later becoming one of Ireland’s most recognizable recording artists and performers.

Before his wider breakthrough, Hansard worked performing in the streets of Dublin, a period NPR described as the foundation of his career. That early phase fed a style that combined intimate songwriting with live show energy, later carried into his work with The Frames and into film audiences beyond Ireland.

Hansard’s mainstream recognition came through The Frames, which has been closely associated with his public identity as a vocalist and songwriter. His later crossover into cinema centered on Once, a 2007 film in which he had a featured role that helped bring his music and persona to international viewers who may not have encountered his work through the Irish music circuit.

Once, released in 2007, became one of the best-known modern music films, and Hansard’s involvement made him a figure at the intersection of indie music culture and Hollywood-style film storytelling, NPR said. The NPR remembrance emphasized that the film audience reach expanded his profile substantially compared with the audience built primarily through concerts, recordings, and the local Dublin live-music scene.

The NPR Culture remembrance was originally broadcast in 2008, and it revisited the arc of Hansard’s career as his name became more familiar to broader audiences. NPR’s retrospective framing placed special weight on his roots in street performance, treating that origin story as a throughline from Dublin’s sidewalks to major screen culture.

Public reaction has typically focused on Hansard’s impact on listeners who associate him with earnest, guitar-forward songwriting and a distinctive live presence, though NPR did not cite specific tributes in the remembrance itself. The motorcycle crash remains the determining circumstance of his death, and further details about the incident were not included in the NPR account.

Hansard’s passing closes an active creative era for fans of The Frames and for viewers of Once who encountered him through film. With his death confirmed for July 29, attention is likely to turn to how his existing music catalog and collaborations are revisited by media outlets and platforms, as well as any posthumous coverage that follows the immediate news cycle.