This one hit me like a gut punch.

Irish music legend Glen Hansard has been confirmed dead at the age of 56 following a tragic motorcycle crash.  Glen embodied that uniquely Irish tradition of being both deeply artistic and wonderfully eccentric. He was a giant of Irish music, and I don’t think we’ll see another quite like him.

I’m honestly heartbroken.

I still remember seeing The Frames at Oxegen in the early 2000s. The moment they began playing Red Chord, I fell in love with their music instantly.

Since forming The Frames in 1990, Glen built an extraordinary career. He led one of Ireland’s greatest rock bands, found international success with The Swell Season, won an Academy Award for Falling Slowly from Once, and continued creating incredible solo albums that touched people across the world.

Over the years, his music was there for me through some of life’s biggest moments. When my dog died, I listened to his songs as I packed away her toys. At a music festival, when I was feeling low, I found myself sitting around a boombox with strangers listening to Fitzcarraldo. During a bad fever, I watched Once on repeat. My girlfriend and I bonded over his music. And after I beat cancer, Glen was the first artist I went to see live.

If you never got the chance to see Glen perform, I’m genuinely sorry, because you missed one of the greatest live performers of our generation. His concerts were emotional, unpredictable, energetic and full of craic. He had a rare gift for making a room full of strangers feel like old friends.

Music is a beautiful thing. It brings people together, bridges divides, and fills the empty spaces in our lives when words aren’t enough.

Glen, thank you for that.

You never knew me, but your music reached me when I needed it most.

Rest easy.