Brett James, the Grammy Award-winning songwriter best known for penning Carrie Underwood’s hit Jesus, Take The Wheel, has tragically died in a plane crash at the age of 57.
Local station WLOS reported that James was aboard a small plane that went down in Macon County, North Carolina, around 3 p.m. on Thursday. None of the three people on board survived.
According to the FAA, the aircraft was registered to Brett Cornelius of Brentwood, the official name of the acclaimed songwriter.
The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, which inducted James in 2020, confirmed his passing in a statement shared on Facebook:
“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.”
Brett James began his career as a solo artist before becoming one of country music’s most celebrated behind-the-scenes talents. He wrote for artists including Billy Ray Cyrus, Kenny Chesney, and Martina McBride, achieving his first Billboard No. 1 in 2001 with Jessica Andrews’ Who I Am.
Over the years, he wrote more than 300 major-label songs for stars such as Chesney, Dierks Bentley, and Rascal Flatts. His collaboration with Carrie Underwood brought him international acclaim, as Jesus, Take The Wheel climbed to No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and went on to win the Grammy Award for Best Country Song in 2006.
Brett James was also recognized twice as ASCAP Country Songwriter of the Year, in 2006 and 2010, solidifying his legacy as one of Nashville’s most influential and prolific songwriters.