Irish musician Glen Hansard, known for starring in and writing the music for the movie Once and for winning the Oscar for Best Original Song in 2008 (Falling slowly), has died at the age of 56 in a motorcycle accident, as reported by Irish media. Hansard was also the lead singer of the band The Frames and was 56 years old.
Hansard had previously appeared in the 1991 film The Commitments, directed by Alan Parker. In Once, the musician acted under the direction of his former bandmate John Carney, who created the film around their shared experiences in the band. Merkéta Irglová, co-author with Hansard of Falling slowly, also appeared in Once. The film, shot on an amateur production budget, grossed $23 million and became one of the big surprises of 2007.