US rock band Train have paid tribute to their founding member Charlie Colin, after his death aged 58, calling him “the sweetest guy”.
His sister confirmed the bass player’s death to the The Associated Press on Wednesday.
The cause of his death is unconfirmed, but his mother reportedly told US website TMZ he died after slipping in the shower, while house-sitting for a friend in Brussels.
The band formed in San Francisco in 1993, and enjoyed one of their biggest hits eight years later, with Drops of Jupiter.
Colin left the band in the early 2000s, before they went on to have one of their other major hits, Hey Soul Sister, in 2009.
Train paid tribute on Instagram, saying: “When I met Charlie Colin, 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. You’re a legend, Charlie. Go charm the pants off those angels.”
Breakthrough hit
Colin played bass for the band and in 2022 he told the Power Players With Dan Clark podcast that he “technically left Train in 2005”.
He continued to work in the music industry afterwards, playing the guitar and providing background vocals for other bands.
Train is fronted by singer Patrick Monahan, and had a breakthrough hit in 2001, Drops of Jupiter.
They went on to tour with Barenaked Ladies and Counting Crows, and by 2003 their album, My Private Nation, went platinum.
Train went on to have hits including the song Drive By in 2012, and their most recent studio album was AM Gold in 2022, their first studio album for five years.
