The Grammy-winning Nashville singer-songwriter Brett James, who wrote the Carrie Underwood banger “Jesus, Take The Wheel,” died in a North Carolina plane crash Thursday. He was 57.
His death was announced by the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. James was a 2020 inductee in the Hall.
According to local news reports, James was one of three people onboard the small-engine plane that went down west of North Carolina’s Iotla Valley Elementary School on September 18. The Federal Aviation Administration said there were no survivors. The Macon County Sheriff’s Office reported on Facebook that no students or staff of the school were injured.
According to the FAA, the plane, a Cirrus SR22T, crashed in a field in Franklin, North Carolina, around 3 p.m. local time on Thursday, September 18. Flight records indicate that the plane owned by Brett Cornelius – James’ legal name – departed from John C. Tune Airport in Nashville before the crash.
Country superstar Dierks Bentley, who co-wrote his banger “I Hold On” with James, posted a tribute on Instagram. “Rest in peace pal. Total stud. Fellow aviator. One of the best singer-songwriters in our town….total legend.”
Among the many songs written or co-written by James are “Blessed” by Martina McBride, “When the Sun Goes Down” by Kenny Chesney and Uncle Kracker, the Grammy-winning “Jesus, Take the Wheel” by Underwood, Jason Aldean’s “The Truth, and Scotty McCreery’s debut single “I Love You This Big.”
“Brett was a trusted collaborator to country’s greatest names, and a true advocate for his fellow songwriters,” the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) said in a statement. “Brett, your ASCAP family misses you dearly. Thank you for your unforgettable track.”
Taylor Swift recorded the song “A Perfectly Good Heart,” which she co-wrote with James and Troy Verges, for her debut 2006 album Taylor Swift.
James, born June 5, 1968, in Columbia, Missouri, is survived by his wife Sandra Cornelius and their four children.
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