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CZECH MUSICIAN MARKÉTA Irglová has offered condolences to the family of her former partner and longtime musical collaborator Glen Hansard.

The singer-songwriter starred in the 2007 film Once alongside Hansard, which earned them an Academy Award for the song Falling Slowly.

In a post on Instagram, Irglová said: “My deepest condolences to Glen’s family, his brothers and his beautiful wife and son, you are all in my thoughts and prayers.

“I am so sorry for your tragic loss, my heart goes out to you. May his love always surround you, his spirit guide and protect you, and may his light shine on throughout your days.

The post continues:

“The Lord bless you

and keep you;

the Lord make his face shine on you

and be gracious to you;

the Lord turn his face toward you

and give you peace.”

Once propelled both Hansard and Irglová into the spotlight and was a huge international success, spawning a stage show first on Broadway that still tours internationally.

In 2008, at age 19, Irglová became the youngest person to win an Oscar in a musical category.

The pair had developed a real-life romantic partnership as they promoted the film. Despite breaking up in 2009, the pair have reunited intermittently in the intervening years to record and tour.

Hansard and Irglová wrote, performed and released music as a duo under the name The Swell Season, which released music as recently as last year.

The duo released three albums: The Swell Season in 2006, Strict Joy in 2009, and Forward in 2005.

Hansard was killed in a road crash at the Strawberry Beds near Lucan in West Dublin in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Hansard and his band The Frames were a key part of the Irish music scene throughout the 1990s and 2000s.

He was married to the Finnish poet Maire Saarista, with whom he had a young son.

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