Red Mosquito

Norah wrote: Wed July 29, 2026 11:11 am RIP


ROLLING STONE UK


Irish singer-songwriter and ‘Once’ star Glen Hansard dies in motorcycle crash
The singer passed away this morning (July 29) after a collision in Dublin.
By Nick Reilly

Irish singer-songwriter Glen Hansard, who achieved international fame when he starred in 2007 drama Once, has died in a motorcycle crash at the age of 56.

Hansard, who also fronted rock band The Frames, passed away this morning (July 29) after an incident in Dublin. Gardaí and emergency services were called to the scene shortly before 4.30AM after receiving reports of a single vehicle collision.

The singer-songwriter memorable won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for ‘Falling Slowly’, which he wrote and performed in Once alongside his co-star and former partner Markéta Irglová.

Hansard had been active in music up until his death and released the second volume of his album Don+t Settle – Transmissions East & West just last month.

More follows…

Wtf world. Terrible news this morning.

Well shit.

I don't know if this is the right place to put this but it seems more than tangentially relevant -

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3ekn9d37qvo

RIP, beautiful man

I'm so sorry, Dime

What awful news. Saw Glen open for Eddie in 2011 -- he was a powerhouse of a performer and came across a really sincere and gentle-hearted guy. Their duet on "Sleepless Nights" is a thing of beauty.

Special condolences to Dime, I seem to remember they're cousins or somehow otherwise related. Tragic to lose a great talent so young, extra devastating when it's a loved one. All the best to you

One of the best I've seen. He is brilliant.

My wife and I were in the West Village, waiting in line for Big Gay Ice Cream --- this was some point in the early 2010s? --- and Glen just came walking down the street toward us. I gasped and dropped, hiding from him, for some reason. My wife thought it was hysterical. I just got so nervous seeing him. I have no idea why. I see people far more famous in my work all the time. And of course my wife was like, "of all the people you love, he's probably the easiest one to talk to. It's weird that you freaked out like that."

Of course she was right. Really feeling how stupid that was today.

I did get to see him live, but only once, and that was opening for Pearl Jam a couple years ago on the Dark Matter tour. He played a phenomenal set, really blew the roof off. He played a blistering version of my favorite song by his band The Frames -- Revelate. He played his guitar with such vigor that he actually broke the strap!

So glad I got to see him perform. Sad I won't get the chance again.

RIP Glen

My deepest condolences to dime.

Saw him at PJ20, 2011 twice. He played pretty early and a very small stage in a parking lot or something close to it. He was amazing, super funny and brought a dude from the crowd to sing Falling Slowly, which he killed it by the way. The second day Ed appeared and they sang it together and boy, that was powerful as hell. Ed´s voice was something else, you could feel the floor kinda trembling really.

Pretty sad to have him gone.

Dime, my dude, if you read this, huge hug from here.

Saw him in 2018 at the House of Blues in Boston. Was a very good show.

gut punch. lucky to have seen him twice on this recent tour. my wife called me crying to tell me. RIP Glen.

Not a huge fan of him but saw him with ed a few times, great performer and surely a great human being.
Stop riding motorcycles you guys, this is so fucked.

Hansard occupies this really odd place in my musical taste, as he is the only person I know of who collaborated with Eddie Vedder and with Jason Molina. I never got into his music but the fact that he was the nexus point between my two favorite artists made me think of him often.

When my wife’s best friend got married, as I walked into the ceremony, I got drafted to be in charge of the playlist for all of the important moments. Very nerve-wrecking but fun experience, and instead of “Here Comes the Bride” she walked into to an orchestral version of “Falling Slowly.”

First saw the Frames at a tiny bar in MPLS around 2002. Again at fineline with Calexico a couple of years later where i also got to tell him how wonderful his music is and shared a sip of beer with him. Absolutely loved once. When Glen and Ed got together, my worlds collided. Saw his supporting sets, tons of solo concerts, tiny bars to big arenas and everything in between. Also because of it all, i got to meet Dime and consider him a good dear friend.

This fucking sucks. Gutted for sure.

Very sad. Feel especially for Dime today.

Really sad news. If you're reading this dime, I'm sorry for your loss. I was just listening to his great cover of Joni Mitchell's Coyote from "Joni 75: A Birthday Celebration" the other day.

Sad news

I was going to see him with vedder on november

Rip

Simple Torture wrote: Wed July 29, 2026 4:09 pm Hansard occupies this really odd place in my musical taste, as he is the only person I know of who collaborated with Eddie Vedder and with Jason Molina.

Love Jason Molina- what was that collab?

RockPusher wrote: Wed July 29, 2026 8:08 pm

Simple Torture wrote: Wed July 29, 2026 4:09 pm Hansard occupies this really odd place in my musical taste, as he is the only person I know of who collaborated with Eddie Vedder and with Jason Molina.

Love Jason Molina- what was that collab?

They released a split 7” together in 2000, then recorded some songs together in 2001, but that session has never been released. Hansard was quoted a lot in Erin Osman’s biography of Molina, it sounds like he was very generous with his time.

On their never-released recordings:

Hansard remembered that as a group they captured the spirit of the individual sets they each played over the tour’s five days, which Molina was ready to release without a second thought, as was his style. “He was like, ‘This is it, this is an album,’” Hansard said. What Hansard didn’t have to say was that no one else agreed with Molina, only that the recordings now sit unreleased in his possession. But Hansard loved observing Molina’s dedicated working methods, when he’d rise at five o’clock in the morning and write lyrics until eight or nine. “He [Molina] loved music as work, and I loved that about him,” he added.

On how they initially got connected:

This was before the onslaught of interconnectivity associated with broadband Internet, and Hansard explained that due to the nature of the Black Album’s historic themes and homespun quality, he had no way of knowing whether Molina was alive, currently touring, or even if the record was new or from thirty years ago. “I thought maybe he was a Nick Drake–style character,” he added. In the letter, Hansard introduced himself and explained that if Molina ever wanted to play in Ireland, his band would be honored to open and host him overnight. “He got straight back,” Hansard said. “I can’t tell you what that meant. This was like writing to Elvis and getting a reply.”