Oscar-winning Irish musician Glen Hansard dies in motorcycle crash

Irish musician Glen Hansard, who won a Best Original Song Oscar 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.

DUBLIN — Irish musician Glen Hansard, who won a Best Original Song Oscar 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 Micheál 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.