A Street Musician at Heart
The article commemorates the life and career of Oscar-winning musician Glen Hansard, who died at 56. It highlights his humble beginnings as a street musician and his enduring commitment to authenticity in his craft.
Why it matters
Hansard's career represents a significant contribution to indie film and music, and his death marks the loss of a widely respected artist known for his 'busking' roots.
The Oscar-winning performer Glen Hansard, who died this week, never forgot his busking roots.
Karl Walter / Variety / Getty August 1, 2026, 8 AM ET Share Save In one of my favorite videos of the singer-songwriter Glen Hansard, who died this week at the age of 56, he is standing in a small backyard in Cologne. It’s 2015, and he’s playing “Say It to Me Now,” which he performs in the opening scene of the breakout 2007 indie film Once ; it’s a raw, wrenching plea of a song that explodes in its second half. In his guitar is a gaping hole: Hansard’s trusty cedar-topped Takamine —nicknamed “the Horse,” for its endurance—had been with him through many years of busking in Hansard’s hometown of Dublin, where he’d strummed it with sufficient force to cut through the din of the street.
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