Warren Ellis has paid tribute to his late friend Glen Hansard by recounting how the Irish musician once sent him a Gibson tenor guitar with a note encouraging him to find a song within it. Ellis said the unexpected gift reflected Hansard’s generosity, adding that people who encountered him were richer for the experience.

Hansard, the Oscar-winning Once actor and The Frames frontman, reportedly died aged 56 after a motorcycle crash in Dublin on 29 July. Ellis also recalled their long friendship, including their first meeting in County Cork in the mid-1990s and Hansard’s support for Dirty Three; public wake and funeral arrangements have been announced in Dublin.