Guitar stars from multiple generations have paid tribute to Glen Hansard, the Oscar-winning Irish singer-songwriter who died in a motorcycle crash in Dublin on July 29 at the age of 56.
Best known as the frontman of the Frames and for his starring role in the acclaimed 2007 musical drama Once, Hansard built a career that took him from busking on the streets of Dublin to international recognition. The film, which he co-created with Markéta Irglová, earned an Academy Award for Best Original Song for “Falling Slowly,” the duet the pair wrote and performed for the movie’s soundtrack.
The Irish Independent reports that Hansard was involved in a single-vehicle crash in the early hours of Wednesday, July 29, in Dublin.
Ed Sheeran was among the first to pay tribute to a musician whose career he had closely followed.
“Heartbroken to hear the news about Glen,” a post on his Instagram Story reads. “He was such an incredible human—an incredible force. I am grateful for the times we spent together. Sending so much love to his family.”
Like Sheeran, Hansard began his career busking before finding success with his band the Frames. He later gained wider attention with his acting debut in the 1991 comedy-drama The Commitments and went on to become one of Ireland’s most respected singer-songwriters.
His career included collaborations with artists such as Eddie Vedder, an appearance on The Simpsons as an Irish busker in “In the Name of the Grandfather” (season 20), and performances alongside some of the biggest names in music. But beyond his accomplishments, it was Hansard’s warmth and generosity that left the deepest impression on those who knew him.
Writing on X following news of his death, Bono reflected on the unique presence Hansard brought to the world.
“Sometimes I would wonder if Glen Hansard really existed,” he said. “He was such an angelic presence… not otherworldly… in fact, very present this presence… A smiling rascal if you needed him to be… this most musical and mischievous archangel of Ballymun [Ireland]. No airs, plenty of graces.”
Bruce Springsteen, who shared a stage with Hansard in Kilkenny, Ireland, in 2013, also remembered his friend’s spirit.
“Here on E Street, we are heartbroken over the death of Glen Hansard,” he wrote. “We met in Ireland many years ago, and he was always nothing but a great musician, a good friend and a generous and gracious man. Always positive, smiling and ready to sing. God bless him and his loved ones.”
For guitar fans, Hansard was inseparable from one particular instrument: his Takamine NP-15 acoustic guitar, affectionately nicknamed “The Horse.”
Purchased from a Dublin music store in 1990, the guitar became his constant companion, eventually developing a large wear mark in its cedar top from years of playing.
“As rhe Horse worked harder and harder, its working-class cred began to show, as a hole started to develop in the cedar top where Glen’s fingernails and pick fell naturally on the thin finish,” a post on the Takamine website reads. “By that time Glen had developed a bond with the guitar, so rather than put it out to pasture, he just kept playing it. Today, it’s one of the most recognizable and iconic instruments in guitardom.”
Hansard began busking at just 13 years old and later credited the guitar with changing the course of his life.
“I got all my education on the street,” he told RTÉ Radio.
“My uncle’s guitar was left in my house, and I learned how to play it, and that saved me,” he said. “I was on a kind of a trajectory, getting into the drugs, just getting into that slightly dodgy spot. My girlfriend at the time gave me a Bob Dylan cassette when I was about 12 and a half, as I was heading down a rough road. I listened to Bob Dylan, and my whole world flipped.”
“I stayed in the bedroom,” he added. “I played Bob Dylan songs every day. I learned my craft. I decided music was all I cared about. My uncle was a musician. I wanted to be like him, but I also set sail towards whatever Bob Dylan was doing.”
Hansard spent the rest of his life chasing that dream, turning a love of songs, guitars and street performance into a career that inspired generations of musicians.
