Karl Cochran, the rock guitar player who worked with Kiss and performed with singer Joe Lynn Turner, died on February 19 in Bridgewater, New Jersey. He was 61.
Cochran was the passenger in a car driven by his 90-year-old mother when she struck a tree while backing up the car. The guitarist was ejected from the vehicle. Cochran was flown by helicopter to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, where he died from his injuries.
Cochran performed electric guitar with the solo group of former Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley in the 1990s. When the original Kiss lineup regrouped in 1996, Cochran’s career got a boost. Along with Frehley, he co-wrote “Into the Void,” a track from the group’s 1998 reunion album, Psycho Circus. He and Frehley had demoed the song on their own before they succeeded in getting it into the album's lineup.
Cochran recovered from a stroke in 2014 and continued to work as a music producer and engineer and teach guitar and bass.
Upon hearing the news of his passing, Kiss shared a post about Cochran with a photo of him and guitarist Paul Stanley.
“Our dear friend Karl Cochran was killed in a car accident on Feb. 19th,” it read. “Karl was a vocalist and guitarist extraordinaire who suffered a massive stroke but never stopped fighting to make his way back. He was loved by our fans worldwide through his appearances worldwide and was a constant inspiration as our guest on our KISS Kruises.”
Cochran began working with singer Joe Lynn Turner in 2003, when he performed on his album JLT. He went on to work on subsequent albums with Turner, perform onstage with him and co-write songs, including “In Your Eyes” from 2007’s Second Hand Life.
Joe Lynn Turner wrote a tribute to Cochran on Instagram, stating: “I have lost a brother, friend and partner. Now there will always be a missing part of my heart. I shall always remember and celebrate with love for the time I was fortunate enough to share with his incredible character and boundless spirit.”
Cochran was also a member of the Eric Singer Project, featuring the Kiss drummer.
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