There’s a picture of an elementary-age Shaun Carrington in the 1990s. He’s decked out in a black tuxedo, wearing a red bowtie and hoisting up a bass guitar that’s nearly as big as he is while surrounded by family who were all members of a gospel singing group.

On October 10, Carrington was killed in a two-vehicle crash on U.S. 1 not far from his Holly Springs home. He was 42.

“Unfortunately, we don’t have any of the details because the State Highway Patrol is still investigating,” Carrington’s sister-in-law, Dawn Carrington, told the INDY this week about the accident.

Officials with the NC State Highway Patrol were not immediately available for comment about the fatal crash.

In the wake of the accident, Dawn Carrington has established a GoFundMe page to raise funds for the children of Carrington, a modest, camera-shy musician who shared the stage with many of the top recording artists in the music industry.  

Carrington grew up in Holly Springs and graduated from Cary High School. Music was a constant in the family. His brother Charles “CC” Carrington, Jr., is an accomplished guitarist. Cousin Archie Logan is a drummer with Who’s Bad, the Michael Jackson cover band. Shaun first became interested in music when he picked up a bass guitar at the age of six. He learned to play guitar from his father, who was taught by his grandfather.  

Shaun Carrington went from playing guitar on Sundays with his family’s gospel group, the Pentecostal Heavenly Jubilee Juniors; to performing on stage with some of the music industry’s most iconic figures: Beyoncé (at once point, foiling the carjacking of an elderly man, while on tour with the singer), Destiny’s Child, Jay-Z, P Diddy, Rihanna, Ciara, Lil Wayne, T-Pain, Monica, Mario, Jill Scott, Leela James, Faith Evans, the late Reverend Timothy Wright, Nelly, Avant, Sumthin’ 4 Tha People, and many others, family members say.

Shaun Carrington was the father of four children, Jeremiah, 20, Jaxon, 14, Naudia, 13, and Braxton, nine, who all live in the Triangle.

“His family was the center of his world,” Dawn Carrington said. “His kids were everything to him. He would be on some crazy tour and would figure out how to come home to his family.”

One week after he died, Dawn Carrington created the Shaun Carrington Legacy Fund on GoFundMe for Carrington’s children. 

“Life will never be the same without Shaun, but his children’s level of comfort and stability does not have to change,” she wrote. “Our hope is to pick up where Shaun left off, and continue his quest to provide the best imaginable life for his children. Please help us remind Shaun’s children that their Dad has touched many lives throughout the world. This is for Jay, Big Head, Sweetie, and Booger. They are Shaun’s greatest legacy! Any donation, regardless of size, is appreciated and beneficial. If a monetary contribution is not possible, our family appreciates endless prayers, love, and emotional support.”

By early Wednesday evening, nearly 80 people had contributed a total of $12,936 toward a fundraising goal of $150,000.

Shaun Carrington was born November 10, 1978, in New Haven, Connecticut. He was the third of five children. His father Charles worked in construction and his mother, Kathy, was a full-time homemaker.

The family moved to the Holly Springs area in the early 1990s, and Shaun graduated from Cary High School in 1997. He was a running back on the school’s football team. His dad started a family gospel group, the Pentecostal Heavenly Jubilee Juniors, that performed at area churches on Sundays. The group, comprised of Shaun’s brothers and cousins, was modeled after a similar family group started a generation before by his grandfather, 

Two years after graduating from Cary High, Shaun and older brother CC moved to Detroit, then New York before returning home. While up north, Shaun’s virtuosity on the guitar impressed an A-list of current music stars. 

Even though Shaun shared the stage with some of the world’s most acclaimed recording artists, Dawn Carrington said he didn’t like to take pictures.

“He didn’t like being the center of attention,” she said. “He very rarely looked directly into the camera.”

After letting his guitar do the talking on the road, Shaun would return to his Holly Springs home just off U.S. 1. He preferred a quiet life with his children and companion, Christine Alongi.

Carrington’s sister-in-law said he was such a humble and low-key man that many of his acquaintances never even knew he was an accomplished musician who played with world-famous performing artists. 

He is survived by his children, parents, siblings, and grandmother, Jessie Carrington, and partner, Christine Alongi.  

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Follow Durham Staff Writer Thomasi McDonald on Twitter or send an email to tmcdonald@indyweek.com.