American singer-songwriter Brett James has died in a plane crash, aged 57.
The Grammy award winner, best known for writing the Carrie Underwood song “Jesus, Take the Wheel”, was reportedly on board a small-engine plane that crashed in Macon County near Franklin, North Carolina, on Thursday.
According to FlightAware data, the plane, a Cirrus SR22T aircraft, was registered to the musician and had departed from Nashville, Tennessee, with three people on board.
The National Transportation Safety Board are reported to be investigating the incident. “The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate,” said a spokesperson. “The NTSB will be in charge of the investigation and will provide further updates.”
In a statement, the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) said it was stunned by the death of James, describing the loss as “profound”.
The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame added: “We mourn the untimely loss of Hall of Fame member Brett James, a 2020 inductee who was killed in a small-engine airplane crash on Sept. 18.”
Born on 5 June 1968, James initially planned a career in medicine but followed his love of music instead, releasing his first and only solo album in 1995.
James then became a behind-the-scenes star of the country music world, writing songs for major artists including Billy Ray Cyrus, Kenny Chesney and Martina McBride. In 2001, he scored his first No 1 single with “Who I Am” performed by Jessica Andrews.
James would go on to write more than 300 songs in his career. His most notable song would prove to be “Jesus, Take the Wheel”, recorded by Underwood.
Despite the song only reaching No 20 on the Billboard Hot 100, it would win two Grammy awards in 2007 for Best Country Song and Best Female Country Vocal Performance.
The song would go on to win the ACM single of the year, the ASCAP country song of the year, and the NSAI Song of the Year.
James’s songwriting also earned him ASCAP Country Songwriter of the Year twice, in 2006 and 2010.
He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2020. At the ceremony, hosted in 2021 due to the Covid pandemic, James said: “I want to thank the songwriting community and all my fellow songwriters. This award especially belongs to you.”
Tributes have since been paid to the star. ASCAP wrote on X/Twitter that James was a “trusted collaborator to country’s greatest names and a true advocate for songwriter”, adding: “We miss him dearly.”
Dierks Bentley, who worked with James on the 2013 hit “I Hold On”, wrote on Instagram: “Rest in peace, pal. Total stud. Fellow aviator. One of the best singer-songwriters in our town….total legend.”
Josh Gracin, who came fourth on American Idol in 2003, said that he had been lucky enough to work with James during the early stages of his career. “I was struggling to connect with the songs being pitched for my first record until I was introduced to Brett’s writing. I went on to cut five of his songs for that debut album, and he quickly transcended far beyond where we both started.”
Fellow country star Sara Evans wrote on Instagram: “I am absolutely devastated at the loss of one of the best writers I’ve ever written with and recorded several of his songs. Brett James. I’m praying for his loved ones. What a tragic and sad day. He will be so missed.”
