Karl Cochran, guitarist for Joey Lynn and Kiss, dies in car accident

Karl Cochran, a guitarist and songwriter who worked for the band Kiss and singer Joey Lynn, died at the age of 61 in a car accident Wednesday, February 19 in New Jersey. According to a local police report, Karl Cochran was with his mother when the vehicle hit a tree, causing the musician's death.

"I have lost a brother, a friend and a partner," singer Joey Lynn wrote on social media the following day. "I will always remember the time I was lucky enough to share with him, his incredible temperament and his boundless spirit." "Karl was an extraordinary singer and guitarist who suffered a massive stroke but never stopped fighting to come back. He was loved by our fans around the world through his appearances and was an inspiration when he joined us on our KISS Kruises," the hard rock band lamented.

The website dedicated to him tells that Karl Cochran, at the age of 12, attended a Kiss concert in 1974 at Madison Square Garden. While still a teenager, he devoted himself entirely to music, playing bass and guitar, singing, and composing. In the early 1990s, he met Joey Lynn, singer of the bands Rainbow and Deep Purple, with whom he collaborated for many years. He also met Ace Frehley, first guitarist of the band Kiss, who hired him for tours. Karl Cochran worked several times on Ace Frehley or Eric Singer's concerts. He co-wrote the song Into The Void , from the album Psycho Circus . Karl Cochran suffered a cardiovascular accident in 2014 that left him diminished.