Rock Band Founding Member Dead at 58 After Fall in the Shower
Charlie Colin, who played the bass and was among the founding members of the band Train, has died at the age of 58.
Carolyn Stephens, Colin’s sister, confirmed her brother had died, according to the Associated Press.
In its report, TMZ added a note of pathos to his death, reporting that Colin — who was part of a band that won two Grammys for “Drops of Jupiter” — passed away due to a fall in a shower.
The report said he was house-sitting for a friend in Brussels when the accident took place, noting that according to his mother, he was not found until his friends returned home.
Train was formed in the mid-1990s and included Pat Monahan, Rob Hotchkiss, Jimmy Stafford and Scott Underwood.
A post on Train’s Instagram page noted Colin’s death.
“When I met Charlie Colin, front left, I fell in love with him. He was THE sweetest guy and what a handsome chap. Let’s make a band that’s the only reasonable thing to do. His unique bass playing and beautiful guitar work helped get folks to notice us in SF and beyond. I’ll always have a warm place for him in my heart. I always tried to pull him closer but he had a vision of his own,” the post said.
“You’re a legend, Charlie. Go charm the pants off those angels,” the post said.
Colin was the musical director for the Newport Beach Film Festival.
“Charlie was a special part of the Newport Beach Film Festival family,” Todd Quartararo, co-founder of the Newport Beach Film Festival, said. “His heart, compassion and creativity will surely be missed.”
Colin left Train in 2003 due to substance abuse issues.
“Charlie is one incredible bass player, but he was in a lot of pain, and the way he was dealing with it was very painful for everyone else around him,” frontman Pat Monahan said, according to KNSD-TV in a 2019 report.
Monahan said the band was brought together to choose between him and Colin.
“They weren’t happy about the choice. They were very clear that I put them in a very tough position,” he said.
“There was a lot of things that led to me leaving, but it really escalated into it,” Colin said in a 2023 interview with Delphine’s Circle cited by Variety.
“We never took a break. We drove our tour bus into the parking lot of the recording studio for our second and third record. In Philadelphia, we made our one-and-a-half record… We just never stopped. It’s kind of one those things where you feel like this is too good to be true. Most bands have a lifespan of a few years,” he said.
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