Shawn Chrisagis poses with actress and singer Cheryl Ladd. Shawn died June 13.

By ERIC AYRES

For The Times Leader

WHEELING — An outpouring of love and support from people in the Ohio Valley — and from many of the celebrities with whom the Chrisagis Brothers have built relationships over the years — help Brian Chrisagis get through the emotional days and sleepless nights since his twin brother Shawn was “called home.”

The unexpected passing of Shawn Chrisagis on June 13 at age 55 not only took half of the locally based yet internationally known Christian music duo The Chrisagis Brothers, but it also left Brian with an existence that he has never known — one without his other half.

For their entire lives, Brian and Shawn had been inseparable — performing, living and working together as two cogs moving each other forward, complementing one another and operating in many ways as one unit.

Over the course of the last week and a half since the tragedy that took Shawn’s life, friends and supporters have helped lift up his family and other loved ones in a way they never saw coming. It has helped carry them through the still raw emotions of their grieving.

“When we drive by the sign at Perkins Restaurant in Wheeling and it says ‘In loving memory of Shawn Chrisagis,’ it makes us cry,” Brian said, noting that a barrage of messages and well wishes continue to pour in on a daily basis — from Ohio Valley natives to lists of well-known celebrities. “It’s overwhelming.”

Erik Estrada, Catherine Bach, Loni Anderson, Jake “the Snake” Roberts, Catherine Hickland and a long list of other stars have sent heartfelt condolences in the wake of Shawn’s passing — some in video format which have been shared on social media. From a bar in Nashville where they performed to ministries in Steubenville and beyond, entities are coming forward to honor Shawn’s memory.

“The Jamboree stopped and sang ‘Amazing Grace’ as a dedication for Shawn,” Anthony said. “These kind of things just really touched our hearts. And it really wasn’t expected.”

Yet a cascade of support has come, as friends and fans both far and near remember Shawn’s kindness, faith and genuine nature.

‘A remarkable guy’

Brian and Shawn worked together at The Fat Apple bakery in Bridgeport for a little over a year. Owner Bob Rhodes said Shawn loved talking to people, and no one left the bakery feeling like a stranger.

“Shawn cared genuinely about people,” Rhodes said. “Shawn wanted to introduce as many people as he could to Christ, but he did it all with love. Shawn was just, he’s a remarkable guy. He really was. He never failed to compliment somebody. He found the best in everybody, no matter who they were. He found a way to compliment them and a way to try to encourage them. I really believe that his goal in life, his main goal in life, was to introduce people to Christ.”

When they performed, Shawn was the duo’s balladeer, while Brian took the role of more of a rocker. That’s what people could see about them.

“He was so sensitive,” Brian said about the underlying differences between the identical twins. “Whenever he read something about us that was not good, it hurt him. It hurt him even more if they said something about me, particularly. But he would still have nothing but love for everyone. We were always the underdogs, so we would always love on and cheer for the underdogs.”

The twins’ older brother Anthony Chrisagis said everyone always assumed Brian was the funny one of the two — embracing the role as the ditzy half of the duo to Shawn’s more serious persona.

“But Shawn was freaking funny,” Anthony said. “He had a very dry sense of humor, and he could get you with just one line.”

That good nature often came out when Brian and Shawn used to look exactly alike. The two often would play the old twin double-take pranks on people. To create a fresh balance, Brian grew out his hair while Shawn kept his short.

“But we were never in competition with each other,” Brian said.

Rather, the two shared an inseparable bond, even down to sharing meals and ordering the same side dishes at restaurants.

“They were like one person in two separate bodies — like a ‘twinity,'” said Lynda Sullivan, who has worked as the personal assistant helping manage the affairs of The Chrisagis Brothers behind the scenes for more than 14 years. “Just the interaction between the two of them — they just had this unbelievable connection. It was almost like they could read each other’s minds.”

“We knew what each other was thinking just through eye contact from the other side of the room,” Brian said.

Even their older brother would marvel at how close they were.

“I would get phone calls from them at weird hours of the day and night with both of them talking at the same time,” said Anthony. “I’d put the phone on speaker and be like — ‘I can’t handle this, it’s too much!’ They would be finishing each other’s sentences.”

A life of ministry

That next-level collaboration and harmonious yin-and-yang teamwork were the magic formula to the fuel that propelled the dynamic duo for decades. Since the age of 15, the twins had been performing together and using their talents to entertain people as catalyst for a grassroots Christian ministry — combining an approachable, hometown flavor with a charismatic Hollywood flair.

It wasn’t always just Brian and Shawn. Anthony was part of the group in the early days, as well. Today, Anthony lives in Oregon. But despite having miles between them through the career of The Crisagis Brothers, he has always served as their biggest cheerleader and biggest fan, he said.

As they grew as performers, Brian and Shawn relied heavily on their charisma and the passion behind their faith.

“The start was on Channel 7 on a children’s TV show,” Brian said. “We wanted to be like Jim Henson.”

The brothers’ ministry has led to a number of celebrities, both from Hollywood and the Christian music community, visiting the Ohio Valley. The Chrisagis Brothers have put on The Legends concerts locally over the past 12 years, welcoming Dove and Grammy award winners. Their “Christmas With The Stars” events have brought popular names from the past into town, like Estrada, Anderson, Bach and others.

“In those 12 years, these people have been rallying to help us,” Brian said. “I’d hate to make this into a Hollywood thing, but it was normal for those people to be a part of our lives for 30 years. It was just life. They encouraged us just as we encouraged them through our ministry.”

Anthony noted that Brian and Shawn cared about them as people, not as celebrities, and the brothers bonded and connected with their famous friends in a way that was very genuine and personal.

A brush with fame was happenstance and never particularly sought. Brian noted that they never set out to rub shoulders with famous people, but their social circle over the decades became that way.

“It became a snowball effect,” Anthony said. “We did try to bring Erik Estrada in to try to help to help the TV show. We thought it would help bring eyeballs on the show.”

That turned into a 30-year relationship with Estrada and a doorway that led to relationships being built with other celebrities, who gravitated to the brothers.

“Me and my brother Shawn were his personal assistants,” Brian said of Estrada. “So we did everything for him. We did his websites, and we were his fan club presidents. Then he told somebody, and they told somebody else. It was the same with Jennifer O’Neill — we were her personal assistants. We booked her flights, and we helped start her ministry. We were just part of their lives.”

A heart they shared

It was at The Fat Apple that the first sign of health problems emerged with Shawn, according to his brother.

“He had lifted something over at Fat Apple, and he thought he had just hurt himself by lifting this big garbage thing,” Brian said. “He thought he strained his muscles. He said ‘this is all painful in my chest.'”

The pain was not around his heart, however. It was more up around his neck.

“Then he would breathe hard,” Brian said. “I never thought he had a heart condition.”

Shawn was a dedicated worker, however, and he always kept pushing. Despite the pain, he kept going for a week before deciding to get checked out at an urgent care center. They took chest X-rays, but not EKGs, Brian said. They gave him muscle relaxers to help reduce some swelling.

“He started feeling better, and the next day, he was on the phone with a dear friend … and while he was on the phone, he was still jotting down ideas for what we were doing,” Brian said. “I walked in the other, and he came in after me and started passing out. I tried to grab him so he wouldn’t fall. But he went down to the floor hard.”

Emergency crews were called to the scene, but Shawn did not survive this episode.

“I was so devastated when this happened that I wanted to die with him,” Brian said.

“My biggest fear was that they were taking on so much stress,” Anthony said. “It’s very sobering.”

The family is encouraging Brian — who shared pretty much everything down to diet and lifestyle routines — to get a professional check of his own heart health.

Their music has ministered to so many people around the world, Sullivan noted, and those whose lives they touched are now showing their love in return.

A tribute to and celebration of Shawn’s life will take place at 1 p.m. Monday at Harbor of Hope Assembly of God in St. Clairsville. Musical performances are expected to take place along with the viewing of memorial videos. The ceremony will be hosted by Mark Statler and Matt Hybarger. Singers who will be there live include Dove Award winners Scott Wesley Brown and Leon Patillo from Santana, recording artist Julie Nickell and Grammy winners Farrell and Farrell. Speakers include actors Lindsay Wagner, Jennifer O’Neill, Jack Scalia and Warren Marcus.

“The thing is with this service that’s coming up, it’s not like we reached out to these people and said ‘hey, can you do this?'” Anthony noted. “These people reached out to us and said ‘we’re coming.’ So we’ve got all of these singers and actors who have become friends over the years.

“But the outpouring of love — not just from them, but from the residents of the valley — has humbled us. He’s my brother — that’s how I see him. But to see how many people were touched. The valley as a whole has circled the wagons.”

The Chrisagis Brothers had already been selling tickets to and planning the next big star-studded extravaganza in the Ohio Valley before Shawn’s passing. A Christmas With the Stars has been scheduled to take place at 6 p.m. on Nov. 11 — along with a salute to veterans — at the Capitol Theatre in downtown Wheeling with guests to include Erik Estrada, Loni Anderson, Lorenzo Lamas, Kevin Sorbo, Stefanie Powers and more. But the brothers have been scheduled to host the event, and it is unclear whether Brian will be able to do it solo. A decision is pending on whether or not Christmas With The Stars 2023 will take place.

“They do take on a lot,” Anthony said. “This event, if it happens, that’s one guy now who has got to do the work of two, and Shawn was the organizer.”

Brian agreed.

“We were both creative, but Shawn was the mastermind behind organizing things,” Brian said. “He was very selfless. He refused to take the credit.”

As they say in the business — “the show must go on.” Regardless of the pending holiday show, Brian has been advised by many that he needs to find the strength to carry his brother’s legacy forward in one way or another, because they all believe that’s what Shawn would want him to do.

“Shawn wanted to always glorify the Lord,” Brian said, holding back tears. “Whatever he could do to further the gospel or to make somebody feel special. The Lord gave us a big calling, and Shawn and I wanted to do everything, and I think we did too much of taking things on sometimes. But that was our goal, and God always found a way to help us do it.”