Brett James, Songwriter of the Year, Grammy Winner, Has Died in Plane Crash in North Carolina

Brett James Killed in Plane Crash at 57

Nashville singer-songwriter, Brett James, passed away due to a plane accident in North Carolina. He was 57 years old.
The news was reported by FOX 17 and WTVF-TV. They reported that a small aircraft with three people on board went out of control and landed near the western side of Iotla Valley Elementary School on September 18. The Agency US Department of Transportation in a statement informed that the pilot and passengers of the aircraft died. The FAA said, “The Cirrus SR22T crash in an open field in Franklin, North Carolina, happened at approximately 3 p.m. local time on Thursday, Sept. 18.” ” There were three people on board.” In addition, it indicated that it will be doing the investigation along with the National Transportation Safety Board.

Remembering His Legacy

The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame remembered James — probably most recognized for co-writing the Grammy-winning song “Jesus, Take the Wheel” — with a very nice Facebook post. In 2020, James, whose full name was Brett James Cornelius, was given the green light by the Hall of Fame.
According to the flight logs, Cornelius is reported to be the owner of the aircraft that took off from John C. Tune Airport in Nashville and later had the crash that caused death.

Tributes From the Music Community

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) went on to acknowledge James’ death and paid tribute to the award-winning songwriter in an Instagram post.
“Brett worked closely with the biggest stars in country music, and was really a great supporter of the songwriting community. Brett, your ASCAP family is missing you a lot. Thank you for your amazing music,” the collective stated about the “When the Sun Goes Down” lyricist.

Sheriff’s Office Statement

Due to the incident, the Macon County Sheriff’s Office has communicated the crash of an aircraft near Iotla Valley Elementary School. However, the local authorities have confirmed that there is no danger to school members.
“We want the parents, the children of whom are going to Iotla school, to rest assured, students, and staff are safe. The airplane trouble occurred on the adjacent land. All students and staff are safe again,” the department said in a Facebook post.

From Medicine to Music

Brett James came into the world on the 5th of June, 1968 in Columbia, Missouri. As reported by Country Now, at the beginning he was going to take up medicine, left college to follow his heart and acoustical guitar. The next year, his self-titled debut album marked his arrival as a solo artist under Arista Nashville’s Career Records, 1995.
Eventually, he turned into one among the top country music songwriters. One of the co-writers who share credits with Carrie Underwood on “Jesus, Take the Wheel,” and “Cowboy Casanova” is him. Besides Underwood, he is also a co-writer on those songs with Kenny Chesney namely “When the Sun Goes Down,” “Out Last Night,” and “Keg in the Closet.” Dierks Bentley’s “I Hold On,” Jason Aldean’s “The Truth,” and Rascal Flatts’ “Summer Nights” are the songs for which he is writing alongside the respective artists.

Remembered by Friends and Family

Dierks Bentley on Instagram remembered James as a creative force who changed the course of songwriting when they co-wrote “I Hold On”. “I always think of my dad when I do the song live, but I also remember that day we wrote it,” Bentley said. “He just got it, just tore into it. It was one of the first times we wrote and I chose to unload the most heartfelt and needed song idea on him because I felt like God was telling me to. Our friendship and that song changed my life. Prayers for his family.”
James’ final social media update was a Father’s Day post earlier this year. He uploaded a photo of a smiling group on a deck in the backyard, commenting: “Such an amazing Father’s Day!! ”
His adult children are left to remember him following his divorce from ex-wife Sandra Cornelius-Little.