DUBLIN: Glen Hansard, an Irish musician who was awarded an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2008 for an independent movie "Once," and who was also the vocalist of rock band The Frames, died in a motorcycle accident at the age of 56, on Wednesday morning, according to a statement made by his management company. There has been a flood of condolences in honor of Glen Hansard following his death because of his immense contribution to Irish music for more than four decades.

The singer started street performing in his home city of Dublin from the age of 13 after he left school and formed the Frames in 1990. The fame achieved by the band in Ireland made it possible for their lead singer to be recognized in the Irish music industry over the next forty years before he gained worldwide fame.

Bruce Springsteen, who performed along with Hansard, expressed that he and his band were saddened by his demise, saying he was "a great musician, a good friend and a generous and gracious man." The prime minister of Ireland, Micheal Martin, described Hansard as an artist who "made a huge contribution to the Irish cultural scene."

The frontman of U2, Bono, wrote an homage to Hansard on X, calling Hansard "a smiling rascal if you needed him to be... this most musical and mischievous archangel of Ballymun." He added that Hansard "could never walk past a homeless person without making sure that they were alright," appreciating his continuous efforts towards reducing homelessness. "Voice of the streets. A choir of angels in one man," Bono wrote.

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Hansard had released a few albums of his own work and received a Grammy nomination in 2016, but had also acted alongside the equally award-winning Marketa Irglova in the duo, The Swell Season. They performed in this small-budget movie, shot with handheld camcorders and featuring the story of a street musician falling for a Czech immigrant, and their performance exposed Hansard to international attention. "Falling Slowly," their Oscar-winning duet, became one of the iconic pieces of the film.

The movie, featuring other songs written and played by Hansard and Irglova, has later been made into a successful Broadway musical that has won the Tony Award eight times in 2012. During his acceptance speech of the Oscar, presented to him by John Travolta, Hansard expressed his shock saying, "What are we doing here? This is mad." Before appearing in "Once," Hansard had only acted as a member of a band in Alan Parker's 1991 film, "The Commitments."

Many of the tributes after Glen Hansard dies were centered on his charitable contributions and campaigns. The Christmas Eve busking event, which Hansard initiated at the height of the economic turmoil in Ireland in 2010, has so far generated more than €2 million for the Dublin Simon Community charity, who called him "a giant in the fight against homelessness" on Wednesday.

Glen Hansard Dies in Dublin: Official Statement and Circumstances of the Crash

Glen Hansard has sadly died in an accident involving a road traffic collision in Dublin. We regret to inform you of this incredibly sad news. According to the Irish police force, "A man in his 50s has died after crashing his motorcycle on his own on the west side of Dublin." The emergency services were called just after 4:30 a.m. (0330 GMT), and the victim was declared dead at the scene of the accident."