OSCAR-WINNING SONGWRITER GLEN HANSARD KILLED IN MOTORCYCLE CRASH

Glen Hansard, an Irish musician and actor, died following a single-vehicle motorcycle crash in west Dublin in the early hours of Wednesday, 29 July. He was 56. Irish police confirmed that a man in his 50s died in the collision after emergency services were alerted shortly before 4:30am. Hansard was pronounced dead at the scene.

Hansard won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2008 for the film Once. Before achieving international recognition, he emerged from Dublin's busking scene and formed the band The Frames. He also appeared in the 1991 film The Commitments, in which he played guitarist Outspan Foster. According to reports, Hansard performed in a pub approximately one hour before the crash.

The death was confirmed by Irish police and reported by Irish media outlets including Newstalk Radio and the Irish Independent. Hansard's representative was contacted for comment following the incident. No further details regarding the circumstances of the crash have been disclosed.