Carrie Underwood Remembers Co-Writer Brett James Following Plane Crash
Carrie Underwood is mourning the loss of Grammy-winning songwriter Brett James, who died in a plane crash on Sept. 18 at age 57 in Franklin, North Carolina.
Authorities confirmed that James, his wife Melody Wilson, 59, and stepdaughter Meryl Maxwell Wilson, 28, were aboard a small-engine plane that went down near a local school. Fortunately, no injuries were reported among students or faculty. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stated there were no survivors on the aircraft.
Underwood, who collaborated with James on the 2007 hit “Jesus Take the Wheel,” shared her tribute on Instagram. “The loss of Brett James to his family, friends, and our music community is too great to put into words,” she wrote.
She recalled James as “the epitome of ‘cool'” and highlighted his commitment to fairness in their collaborations, stating that he wrote 75 percent of the song and insisted on equal credit. Their shared faith was also a focal point of her tribute. Underwood mentioned that singing about Jesus was a genuine expression for both of them.
“The passing of Brett leaves a hole in all of us,” she concluded. “Each day is a gift.”
The crash is currently under investigation by authorities, with further details pending.