Grammy-winning country songwriter Brett James, known for penning hits like “Jesus, Take the Wheel” and “When The Sun Goes Down,” has died in a plane crash in North Carolina. He was 57.
“A Cirrus SR22T crashed in a field in Franklin, North Carolina, around 3 p.m. local time on Thursday, Sept. 18. Three people were on board,” the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told Fox News Digital.
The FAA confirmed that the plane was registered to James under his legal name, Brett James Cornelius. It’s unclear whether he was piloting the aircraft at the time of the crash.
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The North Carolina State Highway Patrol confirmed his death, as well as the deaths of two other individuals aboard the plane, according to The Associated Press.
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating the incident.
The plane took off from Nashville’s John C. Tune Airport before crashing under still-undetermined circumstances in the woods of Franklin. Authorities have yet to release additional details regarding the cause of the crash.
James’ illustrious career spanned decades, as he became one of the most successful and beloved songwriters in Nashville.
He worked on more than 500 songs recorded by artists like Faith Hill, Kelly Clarkson, Luke Bryan, Keith Urban and Meghan Trainor.
James’ first major success was in 2001 when his song “Who I Am” was recorded by Jessica Andrews and hit No. 1 on the country charts.
His writing continued to dominate with songs like “Jesus, Take the Wheel”, which not only earned Carrie Underwood a Grammy but also became an anthem of modern country music.
James additionally co-wrote “Cowboy Casanova” for Underwood and “Out Last Night” for Kenny Chesney, among numerous other chart-toppers.
In 2020, James was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. The official social media page for the organization shared a heartfelt tribute to the country songwriter following the news of his death.
“We mourn the untimely loss of Hall of Fame member Brett James (‘Jesus Take The Wheel’ / ‘When The Sun Goes Down’), a 2020 inductee who was killed in a small-engine airplane crash on Sept. 18.”
In 2020, James recorded his own album. He previously explained to the Grand Ole Opry, “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 was born in Oklahoma City and moved to Nashville to pursue music after leaving medical school. His songwriting career skyrocketed, and he quickly established himself as one of the most influential writers in Nashville.
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Jason Aldean took a moment during his Thursday night concert at Pinnacle Bank Arena to pay tribute to his late friend.
“This next song is one of those early ones that really helped define my career and let people know who we were and what we were about,” Aldean said in a video shared on his X account. “We got a little bit of sad news tonight right before we came on stage. A longtime friend of ours, the guy that wrote this song, we found out today died in a plane crash in North Carolina.”
“He also wrote this next song, which ended up being one of the biggest songs of my career,” Aldean pointed out. “So tonight we want to send this out to our friend that we lost tonight, our boy Mr. Brett James.”
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Aldean additionally 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.”
He also wrote the song “I Hold On” for country star Dierks Bentley, who shared a heartfelt tribute to James.
“When I sing that song live, I’m always thinking of my dad, but I also think about that day we wrote it,” Bentley posted on Instagram with a photo of the two. “He just got it, just lit into it. It was one of the first times we wrote and I decided to drop the most meaningful and necessary idea of a song I had on him, because I felt like God was telling me to do so. Our friendship and that song changed my life. Prayers for his family.”
Just months before his untimely death, James shared a heartfelt moment with his loved ones. On June 16, he was all smiles as he posted a family photo.
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“Such an amazing Father’s Day!!” James captioned the Instagram post.
James is survived by his wife, Sandra Cornelius, and their children.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
