Grammy Award-winning songwriter Brett James has died in a plane crash. He was aged 57. Find some tributes to him below.
The musician and songwriter was arguably best known for his work on the hit Carrie Underwood song ‘Jesus Take The Wheel’, which saw him take home the prestigious award back in 2007.
He is one of three people who has died after a small engine plane crashed in a field in North Carolina. FlightAware data shares that the plane was registered under his name, Brett James Cornelius, and departed from Nashville, Tennessee yesterday (Thursday September 18).
The Cirrus SR22T aircraft crashed in Macon County, North Carolina at around 3pm local time.
Outlets including Metro report that the National Transportation Safety Board will be launching an investigation into the fatal crash, and the FAA shared a statement with local publication News 13.
“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,” they shared. “The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate. The NTSB will be in charge of the investigation and will provide further updates.”
Tributes have been pouring in since the news of James’ death, and the Nashville Songwriters Association International said that it was “stunned by the death of board member and legendary songwriter”. 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”.
We’re mourning the loss of Brett James, co-writer of “Jesus, Take the Wheel” & “When the Sun Goes Down” and a 2-time ASCAP Country Songwriter of the Year. Brett was a trusted collaborator to country’s greatest names and a true advocate for songwriters. We miss him dearly. pic.twitter.com/a2ZXIkKv65
— ASCAP (@ASCAP) September 19, 2025
My heart breaks at the news Hall of Fame and Grammy Award winning songwriter Brett James has died in a plane crash. He’s written 27 #1 songs. Only 57. Such a good guy. (Brett clowning around with me at @CountryMusic CMA Award Broadcast.) pic.twitter.com/TiCZ18KkHB
— Trish Biondo (@TrishBiondo) September 19, 2025
ASCAP, a performing rights organization, shared: “Brett was a trusted collaborator to country’s greatest names and a true advocate for songwriters. We miss him dearly,” while fellow country star Trish Biondo wrote: “My heart breaks at the news… Only 57. Such a good guy.”
A fan also took to X to share: “I was one of those kids who checked the liner notes to see who wrote the songs. More often than not, Brett James’s name would be there. If you’ve listened to country radio in the last 30 years, you’ve heard his songs. Only 57. RIP.”
Find more tributes below.
I was one of those kids who checked the liner notes to see who wrote the songs. More often than not, Brett James's name would be there. If you've listened to country radio in the last 30 years, you've heard his songs. Only 57. RIP.
— D.W. Davis (@dan_davis86) September 19, 2025
Brett James died today. I am still in a state of shock. Nashville lost one of its very best — and most humble — songwriters in history. 💔 @DierksBentley https://t.co/nH7bEctmfe
— Alison Bonaguro (@alisonbonaguro) September 19, 2025
RIP Brett James, 57, Grammy-winning legend behind “Jesus, Take the Wheel”—gone too soon in NC plane crash with 2 others. Total legend. 💔✈️🎶 #BrettJames pic.twitter.com/nv7BxAU3D3
— Tripurari Chaudhary (@TipsChaudhary) September 19, 2025
James released his first solo album in 1995, and then began writing music for the likes of Kenney Chesney, Billy Ray Cyrus, and Jessica Andrews. The work with the latter saw him secure his first of what would come to be 26 Number One singles, ‘Who I Am’.
Among over 300 songs he wrote for major labels, it was the aforementioned Carrie Underwood hit that remains one of his biggest tracks; taking home the award for Best Country Song at the Grammys.
He also worked on the song ‘A Perfectly Good Heart’, which was written for Taylor Swift, ‘Here I Am’ for Leona Lewis, and ‘Mr Know It All’ for Kelly Clarkson.
He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2021, and around the same time he dropped his first self-written album in over 20 years, ‘I Am Now’.