Songwriter Killed in Plane Crash — Carrie Underwood Pays Tribute

Country music songwriter Brett James, who was best known for penning hit songs such as Carrie Underwood’s “Jesus Take the Wheel” and Kenny Chesney’s “When the Sun Goes Down,” has died in a plane crash with his wife and stepdaughter on September 19. He was 57.

According to reports, a small-engine plane registered to James went down in Franklin, North Carolina, near Iotla Valley Elementary School after departing from Nashville just a few hours prior.

“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,” the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement. “The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate. The NTSB will be in charge of the investigation and will provide further updates.”

Singer Carrie Underwood took to Instagram to pay tribute to the songwriter with a touching post about James and the devastation of his loss to the country music community:

“Some things are just unfathomable. The loss of Brett James to his family, friends, and our music community is too great to put into words,” wrote the singer.

“Brett was the epitome of ‘cool.’ I see him in my mind riding up to my cabins to write on his motorcycle…his hair somehow perfectly coiffed despite being under a helmet for however long. I always loved hearing him sing ‘Cowboy Casanova’ because a sassy girl anthem should’ve sounded ridiculous coming from a macho dude like him, but somehow, he even made that cool,” posted Underwood.

“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. I’m asking all of you to pray for his family, friends, and all of us that were blessed enough to know Brett. Love you, man. I’ll see you again someday,” concluded Underwood.

The Nashville Songwriter Hall of Fame announced the loss of the songwriter on their Instagram page with the following post: “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.”