Oscar-winning musician and actor Glen Hansard dies at 56

Irish singer-songwriter and actor Glen Hansard has died at the age of 56 following a motorcycle accident in Dublin, according to his management team and authorities.

Hansard's death was announced on Wednesday in a statement from ATC Management, which said his family, friends and colleagues were "dealing with the shock" and asked for privacy.

Police said Hansard was involved in a single-vehicle motorcycle crash in the Dublin suburb of Lucan at about 4:30 a.m. He was treated at the scene but later died.

Hansard rose to fame as the frontman of Irish rock band the Frames and appeared in the 1991 film The Commitments. He later formed the folk duo the Swell Season with Czech singer-songwriter Markéta Irglová.

The pair wrote and performed the music for the 2007 film Once. Their song Falling Slowly won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2008. Once was later adapted into an award-winning Broadway musical.

Hansard released several solo albums, beginning with Rhythm and Repose in 2012. His most recent album, Don't Settle (Vol. 2 — Transmissions West), was released in June.

He is survived by his wife, poet Maire Saaritsa, and their four-year-old son, Christy.