Charlie Colin, founding member of Train, dies at 58: 'The sweetest guy'

Charlie Colin, one of the founding members of the San Francisco-born pop rock band Train, has died. He was 58.

"When I met Charlie Colin, I fell in love with him. He was THE sweetest guy and what a handsome chap," the band said in a statement shared on social media Wednesday, alongside a photo of the band's five members.

The post continued, "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."

TMZ first reported the news, citing a statement from Colin's mother. Colin's sister confirmed his death to Variety.

Founded by Pat Monahan, Rob Hotchkiss, Jimmy Stafford, Scott Underwood and Colin in the early 1990s, with Colin recruited as the bassist, Train has produced a number of chart-topping hits including "Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)," which won the Grammy for best rock song in 2002; "Hey, Soul Sister"; "Calling All Angels" and "Meet Virginia."

After "Hey, Soul Sister" debuted in 2009, it peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the band's highest-charting track.

Now, Monahan is the last original member still playing in the band, which went on a hiatus from 2006 and 2009 following the release of their fourth album, "For Me, It's You." The band's 2009 LP "Save Me, San Francisco" revived the band with hits "Hey, Soul Sister," "If It's Love" and "Marry Me."

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Charlie Colin was also part of bands the Apostles and Painbirds

Colin and Hotchkiss – who both grew up in Newport Beach, California, and separately attended Berklee College of Music in Boston – reconnected as young adults when Hotchkiss formed his band the Apostles, according to the Southern California newspaper The Daily Pilot.

After going their separate ways following the closure of the record label that had signed them, Hotchkiss met Monahan in San Francisco and soon recruited Colin, who brought on Underwood as their drummer.

"We'd play anywhere, even in laundromats," Colin told The Daily Pilot in 2015. "Train became very successful."

He left the group in 2003 as he was dealing with substance abuse issues, with Hotchkiss following not far behind.

"I had a really great run, but it was difficult," Colin told The Daily Pilot.

A decade later, they formed a new band called Painbirds with Underwood and Tom Luce, the lead singer of the band Luce.

Contributing: Ralphie Aversa

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Charlie Colin dead: Train bassist, founding member dies at 58