Charlie Colin, founding member and bassist for the band Train, died in a slip-and-fall accident in the shower of a Brussels home, the Associated Press reported. The 58-year-old was housesitting for a friend at the time.
Colin played in a band called Apostles with singer Rob Hotchkiss and guitarist Jimmy Stafford following his education at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. That band dissolved, but the trio reunited to create Train along with lead singer Pat Monohan in San Francisco in the early 1990s.
Train band found success with its 1998 self-titled debut album. The single "Meet Virginia" made it into the Top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 that year.
Train went on to record "Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)," which hit No. 5 and earned the band two Grammy awards. However, Colin left Train in 2003 due to his battle with substance abuse.
Despite the problems that forced him to leave, Colin's Train bandmates spoke well of him following his death. "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 said.
Train's official X account shared a black and white band photo with a touching tribute. "When I met Charlie Colin, front left, I fell in love with him," the post to X, formerly Twitter, said.
"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 a beautiful guitar work helped get folks to notice us in SF and beyond," the post continued.
"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," the post concluded.
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 a beautiful guitar work helped get folks to notice us in SF and beyond. I’ll always… pic.twitter.com/2Pv7jehagZ
— train (@train) May 22, 2024
It seems the success of Train was too much to handle for Colin, who was battling his own addiction demons. "There was a lot of things that led to me leaving, but it really escalated into it," Colin said in 2023, according to the New York Post.
"We never took a break. We drove our tour bus into the parking lot of the recording studio for our second and third record," Colin continued.
"In Philadelphia, we made our one-and-a-half record … We just never stopped," he added.
"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," Colin said.
There's no evidence that the fall had anything to do with his past struggles with addiction. Still, it's a tragic loss that his family, friends, and fans will have to endure.
