Songwriter Brett James Killed in Cirrus Crash

‘Jesus, Take the Wheel’ co-writer among three dead in North Carolina incident.

Zach Vasile

Friday, September 19, 2025 at 02:30 PM ET

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Edited By:

Ryan Ewing

Cirrus aircraft on a runway [Courtesy: Cirrus]

Key Takeaways:

Nashville singer-songwriter Brett James, 57, died Thursday along with two other people when the small aircraft they were traveling on crashed in North Carolina.
James was a prolific and acclaimed songwriter, best known for co-writing Carrie Underwood's "Jesus, Take The Wheel" and credited with over 500 songs for numerous high-profile artists.
The aircraft, a Cirrus SR22T registered to James, crashed in a field near a school; however, there were no injuries to anyone on the ground.

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Nashville-based singer-songwriter Brett James died Thursday along with two other people when the small aircraft they were traveling on crashed in North Carolina.

James, best known for helping pen the 2005 hit song “Jesus, Take The Wheel” for country music star Carrie Underwood, was identified as a victim of the crash late Thursday by the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. He was 57.