Brett James, Grammy-winning ‘Jesus, Take the Wheel’ songwriter, dies in North Carolina plane crash

CNN Grammy-winning songwriter Brett James known for penning hits including Carrie Underwood s Jesus Take the Wheel died in a small-engine plane crash on Thursday according to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame He was A plane registered under James name reportedly crashed into a field in Franklin North Carolina about miles southeast of Nashville around p m Thursday according to input from FlightAware and a declaration from the FAA The plane departed from John C Tune Airport in Nashville according to FlightAware It crashed into a field near Iotla Valley Elementary School CNN affiliate WLOS stated The students and staff are safe There was an airplane accident on the neighboring property Again all students and staff are safe Macon County Sheriff s Office wrote in a Facebook post Three people were on board the plane according to the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board noted it is analyzing CNN has reached out to Macon County Sheriff s Office for further information James who worked with megastars like Taylor Swift Bon Jovi and Keith Urban won a Grammy for Best Country Song in for co-writing Jesus Take the Wheel He also wrote on Kenny Chesney s Out Last Night and was regarded as one of the industry s the greater part sought-after collaborators His more than songs have appeared on albums with combined sales of over million copies according to the Nashville Songwriters Association International In James was elected to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame He also owned the publishing company Cornman Music and served on the board of the Country Music Association and as a national trustee of The Recording Academy according to the Nashville Symphony Brett was a trusted collaborator to country s greatest names and a true advocate for his fellow songwriters the American Society of Composers Authors and Publishers stated in an Instagram post announcing James death Rest in peace pal Total stud Fellow aviator One of the best singer-songwriters in our town total legend country musician Dierks Bentley wrote on Instagram