Glen Hansard, the protagonist of the film "Once" and a leading Irish musician, died in a sudden accident. He was 56.
According to BBC on the 29th (local time), ATC Management, a music management company, said, "We are saddened to announce that Glen Hansard died early today in a traffic accident in Dublin," adding, "The family is in great shock and grief and asks for privacy during this very difficult time."
Local police are seeking witnesses to the accident that occurred early that morning on a road in the Lucan area west of Dublin, when Hansard was riding a motorcycle alone.
Born in Dublin in 1970, Hansard left school at the young age of 13 and began his musical life playing guitar on the streets. He formed the rock group "The Frames" in 1990 and continued performing, and in 1991 he also appeared in the music-centered film "The Commitments."
What made his name widely known was the low-budget independent film "Once," released in 2007. Teaming up with Czech musician Marketa Irglova, the work drew enormous popularity, earning more than $20 million (about 28.8 billion won) worldwide in revenue. In particular, the theme song "Falling Slowly," performed by the project duo "The Swell Season" formed by the two in the film, earned the honor of winning best original song at the 80th Academy Awards. The film was later adapted into a Broadway musical and swept eight categories at the Tony Awards in 2012.
He also had deep ties with fans in Korea. Even after parting with Irglova, with whom he had been in a romantic relationship, he released the album "Strict Joy" in 2009, capturing the pain of separation, and visited Korea several times to perform together. In particular, during his 2009 visit, he drew an average of more than 2,700 paying attendees per show, recording the largest audience among performances held that year at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. After the 2010s, he went solo and, with the 2015 album "Didn't He Ramble," was nominated for the Grammy Award for best folk album.
Beyond his musical activities, he also took the lead in shining a light on society's dark corners. Since 2010, when Ireland was undergoing a financial crisis, he held street performances in downtown Dublin every Christmas Eve and raised about 2 million euros (about 3.3 billion won) in donations to help marginalized groups such as people experiencing homelessness.
He is survived by his wife, Maire Saaritsa, a Finnish poet, and their 3-year-old son.