Barack Obama pays tribute to Glen Hansard with summer 2026 playlist

Barack Obama has paid tribute to Glen Hansard while sharing his annual summer playlist for 2026. The former US President posted a rundown of “some of the songs I’ve been listening to this summer” on social media yesterday (Thursday July 30). “It starts with a song [wife] Michelle and I love by Glen Hansard, a great musician who passed tragically this week,” he continued, referring to ‘Song Of Good Hope’ from the late Irish musician’s 2012 debut solo album, ‘Rhythm And Repose’. Obama added: “Our hearts go out to his family.” The nod comes after Hansard – known as the frontman of The Frames and one half of the duo The Swell Season – tragically died in a motorcycle crash on Wednesday (July 29). He was 56 years old. The incident occurred in the village of Lucan, west of his home city of Dublin. BBC News previously reported that police were appealing for witnesses who saw the collision to come forward. Obama’s tribute follows a huge outpouring from the music world and beyond. U2, Warren Ellis, Rachel Zegler and Bruce Springsteen are among those to have paid their respects to Hansard. Recommended Obama’s summer 2026 playlist also features The Strokes‘ ‘Going Shopping’, Noah Kahan‘s ‘Doors’, Mumford & Sons‘ ‘Rubber Band Man’ (featuring Hozier), Doechii and SZA‘s ‘Girl, Get Up’, Anderson .Paak‘s ‘Yada Yada’, and more. There are numerous classics from legendary artists such as David Bowie, The Police, Neil Young, Johnny Cash and Chaka Khan, too. Here are some of the songs I've been listening to this summer. It starts with a song Michelle and I love by Glen Hansard, a great musician who passed tragically this week. Our hearts go out to his family. pic.twitter.com/3A1trYfXfx — Barack Obama (@BarackObama) July 30, 2026 The ex-POTUS, who was in office between 2009 and 2017, has long shared his recommendations for music, films and books online. In 2023, he refuted suggestions that his annual playlists weren’t actually created by himself. “The fact that my lists are, you know, pretty incredible – people seem to think, ‘Well, he must’ve had some 20-year-old intern who was figuring out this latest cut’. No, man! It’s on my iPad right now,” he said at the time. Last December, he shared his favourite music, movies and books of 2025 – which included tracks by Chappell Roan, Lady Gaga, Olivia Dean, Rosalía and more. In other news, footage has emerged of Glen Hansard’s final live performance – shot in an Irish pub just hours before his death. The musician was discovered on the road beside his motorbike after it crashed at around 4:30am on Wednesday (July 29). The incident was reportedly a single-vehicle collision. The musician’s management shared a statement, reading: “With broken hearts we announce the passing of Glen Hansard in the early hours of this morning. 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.” Since the news of his passing, fans have been remembering his work for Once – the 2007 Irish romantic musical drama, written and directed by John Carney. Hansard played a character called “Guy” in the film, opposite Markéta Irglová’s “Girl”. The Swell Season bandmates won an Oscar in 2008 for Best Original Song for ‘Falling Slowly’ from the Once soundtrack. The late artist had recently spoken about his powerful friendship with Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, too. Elsewhere, Billie Eilish and Finneas’ mother has said the duo “would not be who they are” without Hansard’s music.