Charlie Colin, Founding Bassist of Train, Dead at 58

Charlie Colin, founding bassist of the band Train, has died at the age of 58.

The musician’s passing was confirmed to TMZ by his mother, who revealed that Colin died after slipping in the shower. The bassist was house sitting for a friend in Brussels, Belgium when he reportedly had the accident. His body was discovered by the homeowners when they returned from their trip and it is unknown when the fatal fall occurred.

After spending his early life in Virginia, Colin and his family relocated to Southern California where he attended Newport Harbor High School. He continued his education at the University of Southern California, then later transferred to Berklee College of Music in Boston.

After relocating to San Francisco, Colin latched on with guitarists Rob Hotchkiss and Jimmy Stafford, drummer Scott Underwood and vocalist Patrick Monahan, forming the band Train in 1994. The group released their debut self-titled album in 1998 and scored a hit with their first single, “Meet Virginia.”

Further commercial success would follow in the coming years. "Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me),” the title track from Train’s 2001 sophomore LP, peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song earned the band five Grammy nominations, with Train eventually taking home Best Rock Song and Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s).

Why Did Charlie Colin Leave Train?

Colin’s final album with the band was 2003’s “My Private Nation,” which spawned another hit, “Calling All Angels” (which the bassist co-wrote). Four months after the LP’s release, Colin was dismissed from the group due to ongoing substance addiction.

“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 recalled years later during an interview with NBC News.

Colin continued working with a variety of acts from throughout the rock and pop world. In a 2022 podcast interview, he looked back on his departure from Train.

“When I left Train, I went out because my ego and my identity were all at stake and I was thinking about that too much,” the bassist explained. “I went out and played with all these hard rock bands. I went on a tour with Slipknot. You can imagine the guys wearing masks and stuff. These are the hardest rock bands in the world.”

Colin explained that the key to playing with various types of artists was finding "something within me to connect with the people I’m playing with and be of use, add value to [the music] in any way."