One of the founding members of Train, the 90s pop-rock band behind hits like “Drops of Jupiter” and “Hey, Soul Sister,” has died after slipping in the shower, his mother said.
Charlie Colin, 58, had moved to Belgium recently to teach music and was house-sitting for friends in Brussels when tragedy struck, TMZ reported. He fell in the shower but no one realized until the friends arrived home five days ago to find his body, Colin’s mom told the outlet.
Colin, a bassist, was invited to form Train in San Francisco in the 1990s by an old friend, Rob Hotchkiss, and singer Pat Monahan. Guitarist Jimmy Stafford, who had formed the short-lived band Apostles with Colin and Hotchkiss, joined along with Scott Underwood.
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Train had their first Top 20 hit in 1999 with “Meet Virginia” but they hit the big time in 2001 with “Drops of Jupiter,” which won two Grammy Awards. Later hits included “Hey, Soul Sister,” “If It’s Love,” and “Marry Me.”
Colin left the band in 2013 which Monahan later revealed was 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 said, adding that he told the band he would quit unless Colin did.
“They weren’t happy about the choice. They were very clear that I put them in a very tough position,” he said.
He went on to form other bands and his Instagram showed he dabbled in art, taught music, worked as the music director for a film festival, and still performed solo around Belgium. His last post came a week ago and was a touching Mother’s Day tribute to his mom—“a true artist 💖❤️🔥❤️ the loveliest most intelligent woman.”
