Grammy-winning songwriter Brett James shared sweet…
Country singer-songwriter Brett James was killed in a aircraft crash in North Carolina on Thursday.
James, 57, was the songwriter behind some of the style’s largest hits, including Carrie Underwood’s “Jesus Take the Wheel.”
James wasn’t very lively on social media, but one of his last Instagram posts was of him celebrating Father’s Day with his family members on June 16.
Brett James on May 21, 2013 in Nashville, Tennessee. Getty Images
Country songwriter Brett James celebrating Father’s Day before his tragic death. Instagram/brettjamessongs
“Such an amazing Father’s Day!!” he wrote in the caption.
According to Hello!, James has three sons and a daughter.
James lived in Nashville, Tennessee, with his household, and he mainly stayed under the radar. Not a lot is publicly identified about his personal life.
On June 10, he also shared a photograph smiling on the seaside with his spouse, Melody Wilson.
Country songwriter Brett James died in North Carolina on Sept. 18, 2025. Instagram/brettjamessongs
A video he posted that same day exhibits him smiling while taking part in golf.
“The best cause ever with the best people ever!!!! Thanks to the Rahm and to St Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. Lucky shot on 17 at Sawgrass,” he wrote, referring to a golf course at Ponte Vedra Beach, FL.
James was one of three people aboard a single-engine Cirrus SR22T plane that departed from John C. Tune Airport in Nashville.
WTVF reported that the plane crashed in an open area close to Iotla Valley Elementary School in Franklin, NC. The 2016 SR22T plane was registered to James, under his real title, Brett Cornelius, out of Brentwood, Tenn., according to flight information.
Country songwriter Brett James taking part in golf in a last Instagram video. Instagram/brettjamessongs
All three occupants inside the aircraft had been killed, and the identities of the other two victims has not been disclosed. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.
Born in Columbia, Missouri, in 1968, James attended medical college before dropping out to pursue music. He turned one of the most famend nation music songwriters of the 2000s and early 2010s.
His hits also included Taylor Swift’s “A Perfectly Good Heart,” Brantley Gilbert’s “Bottoms Up” and Rascal Flatts’ “Summer Nights.”
In 2020, he was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Brett James performs onstage during NSAI 2022 Nashville Songwriter Awards at Ryman Auditorium on September 20, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. Getty Images
That same yr, James debuted his EP, “I Am Now.”
“I turned 50 last year, and I had one of those birthday epiphanies. I thought, ‘I’d been writing songs for other artists for a long time, and I wanted to re-evaluate things,’” James told Songwriter Universe. “I hadn’t put out any music of my own in around 25 years. … I got inspired to do that without thinking about genre or trying to write radio hits. I know what my most natural voice is, and that was my only preconceived take on things.”
“I’m kind of a natural soul singer. I started writing it and let creativity lead the way. I took time off from my day job as a working songwriter, and I wrote about 11 songs in two weeks,” he explained. “I had as much fun in those two weeks than I’ve ever had writing songs.”
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