Guitarist Karl Cochran, who has toured and collaborated with Ace Frehley, Eric Singer, Joe Lynn Turner, and Bob Daisley, among many others, died on February 19 in Bridgewater, New Jersey, at the age of 61.
The guitarist was a passenger in a car that was being driven by his 90-year-old mother. The car crashed into a tree, and Cochran was ejected from the vehicle. He was immediately flown by helicopter to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, where he passed away due to severe injuries.
Upon hearing the news, former Rainbow and Deep Purple singer Joe Lynn Turner paid tribute on social media: “The passing of Karl Cochran is an unbelievable loss not only to me but to the music world in general. Karl was an extremely talented guitar player and writer. He collaborated with some of the biggest names in rock.”
He continued, “Karl's passing is our misfortune because he brought technical skill mixed with soulful artistic delivery through his music. Everyone who knew him personally and to anyone who heard his passionate performances, live or on record, can easily recognize greatness and expertise in his playing.”
Cochran's career took off in 1992 when he met Turner and joined his band, contributing to several of his solo albums. Two years later, Cochran auditioned to play in Ace Frehley's band, and after landing the gig, toured extensively with the Kiss lead guitarist between 1994 and 1996.
The Kiss association didn't stop there, however. When the original Kiss lineup reunited in 1996, he wrote Into the Void alongside Frehley, which appeared on 1998's Psycho Circus – and in the late ’90s, he toured with the Eric Singer Project alongside former Mötley Crüe vocalist John Corabi and former Kiss guitarist Bruce Kulick. This also included flexing his guitar chops on their 1998 classic rock covers record Lost and Spaced.
Following his close association with Kiss, Cochran revived his own band, Voodooland, dropping an EP in 2000 and a debut album in 2004, titled Give Me Air.
In 2014, Cochran suffered a stroke that left him in a coma and with limited mobility and verbal skills. Eventually, he managed to recover and resumed his music production and engineering work, as well as playing and teaching guitar and bass.
Reflecting on Cochran’s contribution to the Kiss legacy, the band paid their respects on social media, posting a photo of the guitarist alongside Paul Stanley. “Our dear friend Karl Cochran was killed in a car accident on Feb. 19th,” they wrote.
“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.”
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