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Grammy Award Winner Country songwriter Brett James, known for his hits like “Juses”, such as “Juses”, on the wheel” and “The Sun Sets”, died in a plane crash in North Carolina. He was 57 years old.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told Fox News that “a cascade SR22T crashed in a field in Franklin, North Carolina.
The FAA confirmed that the aircraft was registered with James under its legal name Brett James Cornelius. It is not clear whether he was flying the plane when the plane crashed.
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Brett James, the songwriter behind numerous national hits, died at the age of 57 in a plane crash in Franklin, North Carolina. (Getty image of Lester Cohen/ASCAP)
According to the Associated Press, the North Carolina Highway Patrol confirmed his death and the death of two other people on the plane.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating the incident.
The plane took off from John C. Tune Airport in Nashville and then crashed in the woods of Franklin. Authorities have not released any other details about the cause of the crash.
James’ outstanding career spans decades as he became one of the most successful and popular songwriters in Nashville.
He has produced more than 500 songs recorded by artists Mountain of FaithKelly Clarkson, Luke Bryan, Keith Urban and Meghan Trainor.
James’ first major success was in 2001, when his song “Who Am I” was recorded by Jessica Andrews and ranked No. 1 on the national rankings.
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James’ first major success was in 2001, when his song “Who Am I” was recorded by Jessica Andrews and ranked No. 1 on the national rankings. (tommaso bodydi/getty image ASCAP)
His writing continues to dominate with songs like “Jesus, the wheel” which not only won Carrie Underwood Grammy Awards, but also became the national anthem of modern country music.
James also co-written “Casanova” for Underwood and “Last Night” for Kenny Chesney and Kenny Chesney.
In 2020, James was inducted into the Nashville Songwriter Hall of Fame. The organization’s official social media page shares heartfelt tribute After the news of his death, pay tribute to the country songwriter.
“We mourn the lastly 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 September. 18.”

James wrote “Jesus, with the steering wheel” to win a Grammy for Carrie Underwood. (Joy Malone/Getty Images)
In 2020, James recorded his own album. He has gone Grand Ole Opry“On the stage of my life, I wouldn’t write about the driving of a pickup truck, chasing girls. It needs to feel more classic lyrically. They all become love songs, but hopefully brings twisted songs, which have not been written before.”
James was born in Oklahoma City and moved to Nashville After leaving medical school, pursuing music. His songwriting career surged, and he quickly established himself as one of Nashville’s most influential writers.
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Jason Aldean He spent a little time paying tribute to his late friend at his Thursday night concert at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Brett James, Hillary Lindsey and Gordie Sampson won their best country song “Jesus’ Award” at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles on February 11, 2007. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)
“The next song is one of the early songs that really helped define my career and let people know who we are and one of our early songs.” video Share on his X account. “We had some sad news tonight before we got on stage. A long-time friend of ours, the man who wrote the song, we found out today that we died in a plane crash in North Carolina.”
“He also wrote the song, which ended up being one of the biggest songs of my career,” Aldean pointed out. “So we want to send it to our friends tonight, we lost tonight, our boy Mr. Brett James.”
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Aldean also shared on X that “My friend Brett James Tonight lost his sadness tonight. I had no other way than love and respect for that guy, and he helped change my life. It’s an honor to know him and work with him.”

Musician Brett James and his wife Sandy were held at the CMA Awards ceremony in Nashville, Tennessee on November 5, 2006. (AP Photo/Jeff Christensen)
He also wrote the song “I hold on” for rural stars Dierks Bentleyhe expressed his sincere respect to James.
“I kept thinking about my dad when I sang live, but I also thought about what we wrote that day.” Instagram Photos with both. “He just got it, just got stuffed into it. It was one of the first times we wrote it and I decided to give up the most meaningful and necessary thoughts I had for him because I felt like God was telling me to do it. Our friendship and that song changed my life. Pray for his family.”
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James shared a heartfelt moment with his loved ones a few months before his death. On June 16, he smiled very much when he posted a family photo.
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“It’s an amazing Father’s Day!!” James captioned the Instagram post.
James’s wife, Sandra Cornelius, and their children survived.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.