On Friday, Carrie Underwood shared a heartfelt tribute on social media in memory of Brett James, the co-writer behind her Grammy-winning hit “Jesus, Take the Wheel” from 2005. Tragically, James lost his life in a plane crash on Thursday, along with two others, at the age of 57.
Underwood, now 42 and a former American Idol champion, had a deep professional bond with James and expressed her grief in a moving post. “Some things are simply beyond comprehension. The passing of Brett James is an immeasurable loss to his loved ones, friends, and everyone in the music industry,” she wrote, capturing the profound impact of his death.
Reflecting on their friendship, she described James as the embodiment of “cool.” She reminisced about him arriving at her cabins on his motorcycle, with his hair impeccably styled despite having worn a helmet. Underwood also fondly recalled how he brought charisma to songs like “Cowboy Casanova,” noting how effortlessly he made a “sassy girl anthem” sound compelling, even though it seemed unlikely for someone with his rugged persona.
She went on to share an anecdote about one of their songwriting sessions. ‘He was a good guy,’ she prefaced before reflecting, ‘I remember writing with him on a song that he basically wrote 75% of and had ready when he walked in the room.
‘We filled in the blanks and added a little melody and I told him after that I didn’t feel right splitting the credit evenly when he did most of the work. He wouldn’t have it. He insisted that everything be equal. He was just that kind of guy…’ The songstress then spoke to Brett’s strong faith, calling it ‘the only comfort we can hold on to now.’
‘Brett loved the Lord,’ she stated before adding elsewhere in the note, ‘We even had the pleasure of singing together at church.’ The Oklahoma native shared with her 13.4 million followers, ‘My favorite songs to sing of ours are the ones that he or we wrote about Jesus because the thoughts and feelings behind them are so genuine and pure. I won’t ever sing one note of them again without thinking of him.’
James was onboard his Cirrus SR22T when it went down near a school at around 3pm in Franklin, North Carolina, WLOS reported. He and two other passengers — later revealed to be his girlfriend Melody Wilson, 59, and her daughter Meryl Maxwell Wilson, 28 — were pronounced dead at the scene.
Underwood expressed in her Instagram caption: ‘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.’
She solemnly continued, ‘I’m asking all of you to pray for his family, friends and all of us that were blessed enough to know Brett.’ And finally, she wrote, ‘Love you, man. I’ll see you again someday.’
