Current:Home > BackCharlie Colin, founding member of the pop-rock band Train, dies at 58-LoTradeCoin
Charlie Colin, founding member of the pop-rock band Train, dies at 58
View Date:2024-12-23 20:51:50
NEW YORK (AP) — Charlie Colin, bassist and founding member of the American pop-rock band Train, best known for their early-aughts hits like “Drops of Jupiter” and “Meet Virginia,” has died. He was 58.
Colin’s sister Carolyn Stephens confirmed her brother’s death to The Associated Press Wednesday. He died after slipping and falling in the shower while house-sitting for a friend in Brussels, Belgium, celebrity website TMZ.com reported.
Colin grew up in California and Virginia and attended Berklee College of Music in Boston.
He played in a group called Apostles after college with guitarist Jimmy Stafford and singer Rob Hotchkiss. The band eventually dissolved, and Colin moved to Singapore for a year to write jingles.
Eventually, Colin, Hotchkiss and Stafford relocated to San Francisco, where Train formed in the early ‘90s with singer Pat Monahan. Colin brought in drummer Scott Underwood to round out the group, according to an interview with Colin and Hotchkiss in Berklee’s alumni magazine.
As a founding member of Train, Colin played on the band’s first three records, 1998’s self-titled album, 2001’s “Drops of Jupiter” and 2003’s “My Private Nation.” The latter two releases peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 chart.
“Meet Virginia,” from Train’s debut album broke the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100, but it was their sophomore album, “Drops of Jupiter,” that confirmed the band’s success.
The eight-times platinum title track “Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)” — which features the Rolling Stones ′ session pianist Chuck Leavell and Leonard Cohen ’s string orchestrator Paul Buckmaster and was written about the death of Monahan’s mother — hit No. 5 on the same chart. It also earned two Grammys, for best rock song and best instrumental arrangement accompanying vocalist(s).
Colin left Train in 2003 due to substance abuse. “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,” Monahan told NBC San Diego.
In 2015, he reunited with Hotchkiss to start a new band called Painbirds, alongside Tom Luce.
In 2017, he formed another band, the Side Deal, with Sugar Ray’s Stan Frazier and the PawnShop Kings’ Joel and Scott Owen.
On Wednesday, a tribute to Colin appeared on the official Facebook and X social media pages for the band Train. “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,” it reads.
“His unique bass playing a 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. You’re a legend, Charlie. Go charm the pants off those angels.”
Prior to his death, Colin documented his time in Brussels, writing “Officially my favorite city,” in a March Instagram post.
veryGood! (4)
Related
- 24 more monkeys that escaped from a South Carolina lab are recovered unharmed
- Lulus’ Buy 3-Get-1 Free Sale Includes Elegant & Stylish Dresses, Starting at $15
- How the Search for 11-Year-Old Audrii Cunningham Turned Into a Devastating Murder Case
- Judge rules against NCAA, says NIL compensation rules likely violate antitrust law, harm athletes
- Some women are stockpiling Plan B and abortion pills. Here's what experts have to say.
- Score Exclusive Deals During Tory Burch's Private Sale, With Chic Finds Under $100
- Police: 7 farmworkers in van, 1 pickup driver killed in head-on crash in California farming region
- Score Exclusive Deals During Tory Burch's Private Sale, With Chic Finds Under $100
- Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul referee handled one of YouTuber's biggest fights
- Malia Obama Isn't the Only One With a Stage Name—Check Out These Stars' Real Names
Ranking
- Black women notch historic Senate wins in an election year defined by potential firsts
- Blind seal gives birth and nurtures the pup at an Illinois zoo
- Oaths and pledges have been routine for political officials. That’s changing in a polarized America
- The SAG Awards will stream Saturday live on Netflix. Here’s what to know
- Fire crews gain greater control over destructive Southern California wildfire
- Simone Biles is not competing at Winter Cup gymnastics meet. Here's why.
- Malia Obama Isn't the Only One With a Stage Name—Check Out These Stars' Real Names
- Kansas man pleads guilty to causing crash that killed officer, pedestrian and K-9 last February
Recommendation
-
Northern Taurid meteor shower hits peak activity this week: When and where to watch
-
Howard University is making history as the first HBCU to take part in a figure skating competition
-
We celebrate Presidents' Day with Ray Romano, Rosie Perez, and more!
-
NCAA infractions committee could discipline administrators tied to violations and ID them publicly
-
NYC bans unusual practice of forcing tenants to pay real estate brokers hired by landlords
-
Audrii Cunningham died from 'homicidal violence with blunt head trauma,' records show
-
Dolly Parton praises Beyoncé after Texas Hold 'Em reaches No. 1 on Billboard hot country songs chart
-
Federal judge grants injunction in Tennessee lawsuit against the NCAA which freezes NIL rules