Country singer and songwriter Brett James, known for the hit “Jesus, Take the Wheel,” died with two others in a small plane crash in North Carolina’s mountains Thursday, authorities said Friday.
James, also known for the hit song “When the Sun Goes Down,” was traveling in a single-engine Cirrus SR22T plane when it crashed near Lotla Valley Elementary School in Franklin, about an hour west of Asheville. He was 57.
The Cirrus was registered to James under his legal name of Brett James Cornelius, according to information provided by the FAA. It was not known if he was the pilot. The North Carolina State Highway Patrol confirmed his death and said the other two on the plane were Melody Carole and Meryl Maxwell Wilson.
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board said they will investigate the crash.
The plane had taken off from John C. Tune Airport in Nashville.
James was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2020. The organization posted an online statement of mourning.
A native of Oklahoma City, James left medical school to pursue a musical career in Nashville, according his biography on the Hall of Fame’s site.
His first No. 1 hit was “Who I Am” in 2001, by Jessica Andrews. “Jesus, Take the Wheel,” which he co-wrote for Carrie Underwood, earned the 2006 Grammy for Best Country Song, among other honors.
James had more than 500 of his songs recorded, for albums with combined sales of more than 110 million copies, according to his Grand Ole Opry biography online.
Other artists who sang his songs include Faith Hill, Kelly Clarkson, Luke Bryan, Keith Urban, Nick Jonas and Meghan Trainor.
Additional hits include “Cowboy Casanova” by Underwood, “Out Last Night” by Kenny Chesney, and “Summer Nights” by Rascal Flatts.
“Heartbroken to hear of the loss of my friend Brett James tonight,” country singer Jason Aldean posted on X. “I had nothing but love and respect for that guy and he helped change my life. Honored to have met him and worked with him.”
James recorded his own album in 2020.
“At my stage in life, I’m not going to write about driving around in pickup trucks, chasing girls,” he was quoted as saying on the Opry site. “It needed to feel more classic, lyrically. They all wound up being love songs, but hopefully love songs with a twist, that haven’t all been written before.”
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