Brett James: Tragic Plane Crash Claims Grammy-Winning Musician's Life

Liputan6.com, Jakarta The music world was shocked by the sad news of the death of Brett James, a Grammy Award-winning songwriter.

He died in a small plane crash in Franklin, North Carolina, United States.

This tragic incident happened on Thursday, September 18, 2025, at approximately 3:00 PM local time and claimed the lives of three people, including Brett James himself, his wife, and his stepdaughter.

The exact cause of the crash of the Cirrus SR22T plane is still under investigation by authorities.

The late Grammy-winning songwriter shared memories with his family months before he died in a plane crash on Sept. 18. On June 16, he captioned a photo of himself surrounded by others gathered on a backyard deck, "Such an amazing Father's Day!!"

Days before the Father's Day post, the country musician shared a selfie of himself and his wife, Melody Carole Wilson, on the beach.

"So much fun with my love in the Bahamas," he captioned the sunny photograph.

Songwriter Brett James, who is credited with writing or co-writing hundreds of songs — including Carrie Underwood's "Jesus, Take the Wheel" — was one of three people killed in small plane crash in North Carolina, according to multiple people close to him. https://t.co/HqF18D4IPs pic.twitter.com/Qtxo1ilLXZ

— ABC News (@ABC) September 19, 2025

The plane crash that killed Brett James occurred on September 18, 2025, in a field in Franklin, North Carolina.

The small Cirrus SR22T plane crashed "under unknown circumstances," according to a preliminary report by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

In addition to 57-year-old Brett James, two other victims who died were his wife, Melody Carole, and his stepdaughter, Meryl Maxwell Wilson.

All three were on board the plane when the tragic incident occurred, and none survived the crash.

The Cirrus SR22T involved in the crash was registered to Brett James' legal name, Brett James Cornelius.

The plane reportedly took off from John C. Tune Airport in Nashville, Tennessee.

The exact cause of the crash is under thorough investigation, according to People.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are working to uncover the "unknown circumstances" behind this tragic incident, including whether Brett James was the pilot.

Brett James Cornelius, born on June 5, 1968, in Columbia, Missouri, is a prominent figure in the American country music industry.

Before pursuing his career in Nashville, he had a strong educational background, including studying at Baylor University in 1991.

Interestingly, Brett James studied medicine before ultimately deciding to pursue his passion for music.

This decision led him to Nashville, where he built a reputation as a singer, songwriter, and record producer.

As a songwriter, Brett James is recognized for his outstanding contributions, having written over 500 songs.

His work has been recorded by numerous renowned artists, resulting in combined album sales of over 110 million copies worldwide.

Brett James' most iconic work is "Jesus, Take the Wheel," popularized by Carrie Underwood.

The song won two Grammy Awards in 2007 for Best Country Song and Best Female Country Vocal Performance.

In addition, Brett James has also written numerous other chart-topping hits.

Some of these include "When the Sun Goes Down" (Kenny Chesney & Uncle Kracker), "Cowboy Casanova" (Carrie Underwood), "Who I Am" (Jessica Andrews), and "It's America" ​​(Rodney Atkins).

Brett James was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2020, the highest honor for a songwriter.

He was also named ASCAP Country Songwriter of the Year in 2006 and 2010.