Hallmark star Melissa Peterman is paying tribute after the sudden passing of Glen Hansard.
The legendary Irish singer tragically passed away on Wednesday, July 29 at 56 years old. Hansard’s management shared a statement confirming that he passed following a motorcycle crash in Dublin.
“With broken hearts we announce the passing of Glen Hansard in the early hours of this morning,” the statement reads. “We are still dealing with the shock of it all, so we kindly ask that the privacy of Glen’s family, colleagues and friends is respected at this difficult time.”
Hansard won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2008 for the ballad “Falling Slowly,” which he co-wrote and performed with Markéta Irglová for the musical film “Once.” He also led the bands The Frames and The Swell Season.
Peterman Recalls the Way Hansard’s Music Affected Her Personally
“Absolutely heartbreaking. His music just got to me in the way few artists do. He was so talented and I am so very sorry for his family and everyone who loved him,” Peterman wrote in the comments under the post announcing his passing on Instagram.
Her message echoed the sorrow shared by fans and fellow entertainers who also wrote about the profound impact Hansard’s music had on them.
“The ripples made by this man… ✨ He was magic. Sympathy to all who knew him,” one fan commented.
Another fan added, “This is such devastatingly sad news. Ditto on the thousands of similar sentiments. Heart broken…”
Celebrity Tributes Pour In as the Music World Honors Hansard’s Memory
U2’s Bono wrote a moving tribute to Hansard, calling him “an angelic presence.”
“A smiling rascal if you needed him to be… this most musical and mischievous archangel of Ballymun… no airs, plenty of graces…” the singer wrote in the caption of U2’s Instagram post. “To be utterly yourself by being more interested in others – a clue for any of us trying out different personas. He really was who you thought he was. He could never walk by a person living rough without checking they were OK… and more than that, he worked very hard so that less people had to live on the streets in the first place.”
“Of all the grand and gigantic venues he and The Frames played, you sensed the street was his most favoured place to perform. And street people, his favourite audience,” Bono added. “Voice of the streets. A choir of angels in one man. The rest of us blessed to stand there beside our very own and very earthed Angel Gabriel… All of us welcome in his choir, whatever shape or form.”
“For me, he will always be everywhere I see a coin spinning into an open guitar case,” he concluded. “May you rest in the peace you gave to so many.”
Bruce Springsteen also honored Hansard. “Here on E Street, we are heartbroken over the death of Glen Hansard. We met in Ireland many years ago and he was always nothing but a great musician, a good friend and a generous and gracious man. Always positive, smiling and ready to sing. God bless him and his loved ones,” he wrote in an Instagram post.
Actress and singer Rachel Zegler paid respects to her friend in an emotional Instagram post featuring photos of Zegler spending time with Hansard and performing on stage alongside him. She wrote in the caption, “oh i will love you forever. rest now, my friend.”
Musician Finneas called Hansard the “most wonderful person” in a moving Instagram post. “The first song I ever got on a stage to perform was ‘Falling Slowly’ when I was 11. His songs made me want to write songs and they also made me cry. When our family met him in Dublin in 2019, he greeted us like old friends even though we were just his fans. Today I am a heartbroken fan. Hope he knew how much he meant to so many, this is how much he meant to me.”
