Grammy-winning country songwriter Brett James, renowned for co-writing Carrie Underwood's chart-topping "Jesus, Take the Wheel" and Kenny Chesney's "When the Sun Goes Down," perished in a plane crash in North Carolina on Thursday, authorities confirmed. He was 57 years old.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that the small Cirrus SR22T aircraft, carrying three occupants, crashed "under unknown circumstances" into woods near Franklin, North Carolina, in the afternoon.
The North Carolina State Highway Patrol confirmed there were no survivors, identifying James—whose legal name was Brett James Cornelius—as one of the victims. The plane was registered to him, though it remains unclear if he was piloting. The other deceased were identified as Melody Carole and Meryl Maxwell Wilson.
The aircraft had departed from John C. Tune Airport in Nashville earlier that day. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have launched an investigation into the incident.
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A native of Oklahoma City, James abandoned medical school to chase his passion for music in Nashville, as detailed in his biography on the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame website. Inducted into the Hall in 2020, James amassed over 500 recorded songs, contributing to albums with sales exceeding 110 million copies, according to his Grand Ole Opry profile.
His breakthrough came with Jessica Andrews' 2001 No. 1 hit "Who I Am." The pinnacle of his career arrived in 2006 when "Jesus, Take the Wheel," co-written for Underwood, clinched a Grammy for Best Country Song, alongside numerous other accolades. Other notable compositions include Underwood's "Cowboy Casanova," Chesney's "Out Last Night," Rascal Flatts' "Summer Nights," and tracks performed by artists such as Faith Hill, Kelly Clarkson, Luke Bryan, Keith Urban, Nick Jonas, and Meghan Trainor.
The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame issued a statement of profound sorrow on social media, mourning the loss of a transformative figure in country music.
Tributes poured in from peers, including country star Jason Aldean, who shared on X: “Heartbroken to hear of the loss of my friend Brett James tonight. I had nothing but love and respect for that guy and he helped change my life. Honored to have met him and worked with him.”
In 2020, James released his own album, reflecting on his evolved songwriting style in an Opry interview: “At my stage in life, I'm not going to write about driving around in pickup trucks, chasing girls. It needed to feel more classic, lyrically. They all wound up being love songs, but hopefully love songs with a twist, that haven't all been written before.”
James leaves behind a legacy of heartfelt lyrics that resonated with millions, forever etched in the annals of country music.
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