Hitmaker Brett James Dies in Plane Crash at 57
Brett James, the award-winning songwriter behind hits like Kenny Chesney’s When The Sun Goes Down and Carrie Underwood’s Jesus, Take the Wheel, tragically died in a plane crash Thursday at age 57.
The small plane went down near Franklin, North Carolina, killing all three on board: James, his wife Melody Wilson, 59, and her daughter, Meryl Maxwell Wilson, 28. Authorities confirmed no survivors. It’s unclear if James was piloting the aircraft, a Cirrus SR22T registered in his legal name, Brett James Cornelius.
James, an Oklahoma native and Nashville mainstay, left medical school to pursue music. He scored his first No. 1 in 2001 and went on to write over 500 recorded songs for artists like Carrie Underwood, Faith Hill, Luke Bryan, Keith Urban, and Kelly Clarkson. His work earned a Grammy and helped sell over 110 million albums. He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2020.
Tributes poured in from across the industry, with Jason Aldean calling him a life-changing friend. Underwood remembered his generosity and talent.
James is survived by four children from his first marriage. FAA and NTSB officials are investigating the crash.