Oscar-winning Irish singer-songwriter Glen Hansard has died in a motorcycle crash in Dublin at the age of 56. The accident happened in the early hours of Wednesday near Strawberry Beds in Lucan. Glen Hansard’s management confirmed his death after the fatal motorcycle crash. The statement said the family was “deeply shocked” and “heartbroken” by the tragedy.
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In a 2023 interview with the Irish Times, he described fatherhood as a life-changing experience. Speaking about becoming a father, Hansard said, “For 52 years I was the most important person in my own life, and then suddenly I got a complete perspective shift, and I’m absolutely loving it”. He added, “To be of service to this young mind, to this young life, is just – I can’t believe I didn’t do it before now. Isn’t it true that when the student is ready, the teacher appears?”
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Hansard explained why he became a father later in life. He said, “I was always the guy in the band, so I was just busy making my story, making my life, moving forward.” He said meeting his wife changed everything. “I guess opportunities were there, of course, but it just wasn’t really on my list of things to do. Then I met Maire, and it was, like, oh, there’s the mother of my children.”
Hansard also described this period as one of the happiest in his life. “Is this the happiest time of my life? I would say it’s probably the most adventurous, the time I feel most engaged of all of my life so far,” he told the Irish Times in 2023.
Speaking about that moment in a 2015 interview, Hansard said his mother approached a bank manager for a loan so he could record his first demo. According to the Irish Independent, the recording helped introduce his music to key figures in the industry and marked an important step in the beginning of his career.
Before his death, Hansard had several concerts planned in Norway and Sweden before beginning an Ireland tour in October, according to RSVP Live. The Ireland tour was scheduled to include performances in Cork, Limerick, Killarney, Sligo, Galway and Belfast, making his death an unexpected loss for his family, fans and the Irish music community.
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The family’s statement began by saying, “With broken hearts, we announce the passing of Glen Hansard who passed away, in the early hours of this morning, following a road traffic accident in Dublin”, according to the Irish Independent.
Glen Hansard was married to Finnish poet Maire Saaritsa. Hansard and Maire Saaritsa welcomed their first child in October 2022, when Hansard was in his early fifties.
The couple divided their time between Hansard’s home in Kildare and Helsinki, Finland, where Saaritsa is from, according to the Irish Times. The couple have one son, who is about 3 years old. Hansard often spoke about how becoming a father changed his life.
