Grammy-Winning Songwriter Brett James Dies in Plane Crash at 57

Brett James, the Grammy Award-winning songwriter known for megahit “Jesus, Take the Wheel,” has died in a small-engine plane crash. He was 57.

James was one of three people on board a Cirrus SR22T aircraft that crashed near Franklin, North Carolina, on Thursday in an incident that the National Transportation Safety Board said it is investigating.

The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame announced James’ death, writing in a Facebook post on Friday, “We mourn the untimely loss of Hall of Fame member Brett James (“Jesus Take The Wheel” / “When The Sun Goes Down”), a 2020 inductee who was killed in a small-engine airplane crash on Sept. 18. He was 57.”

James wrote or co-wrote some of country music’s biggest hit songs, including Carrie Underwood’s “Jesus Take the Wheel” and Kenny Chesney’s “When the Sun Goes Down.”

The music industry was quick to mourn James on social media, with performing rights organization ASCAP writing in a tribute post, “We’re mourning the loss of Brett James … 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.”

Underwood posted a lengthy tribute to James on Friday, calling his death “unfathomable.”

The loss of Brett James to his family, friends and our music community is too great to put into words,” she wrote on Instagram. “Brett’s passing is leaving a hole in all of us that I fear won’t ever go away. It will forever be a reminder that this life is but a moment … we have to make the most of each day we’re given here on earth. Each day is a gift.