Carrie Underwood honors Brett James with special tribute

Carrie Underwood has paid tribute to Brett James, her co-writer on Jesus Take The Wheel.

Brett, 57, passed away along with his wife Melody Wilson, 59, and stepdaughter Meryl Maxwell Wilson, 28, in a plane crash on Thursday (18.09.25). Carrie, who collaborated with Brett on the Grammy-winning 2005 hit, turned to Instagram to post a heartfelt message in his honor.

She wrote: “Some things are simply impossible to comprehend. The loss of Brett James to his family, his friends, and to our music community is far too heavy to put into words.

“Brett was the definition of ‘cool.’ I picture him riding his motorcycle up to my cabins to write, his hair somehow perfectly styled even after wearing a helmet. I always loved when he sang Cowboy Casanova. A confident anthem for women should have sounded silly coming from a tough guy like him, but he still made it sound effortlessly cool.”

Carrie also remembered how selfless Brett was when it came to sharing credit in their writing sessions. She recalled: “He was such a good man. I remember working with him on a song that he had already written most of before he even came into the room. We just added a bit more melody and filled in a few gaps. I told him afterward that I didn’t feel right splitting the credit evenly when he did almost all the work. But he refused to accept that. He insisted everything be equal. That was who he was.”

She went on: “Brett had such a strong faith. That is the only comfort to hold on to now. We even had the chance to sing together at church. The songs I loved performing most were the ones we wrote about Jesus, because the heart behind them was so true and pure. From now on, every time I sing them, I will be thinking of him.

“The loss of Brett leaves a void in all of us that I don’t think will ever be filled. It is a reminder that life is only a moment, and we need to make the most of every single day. Every day is a gift.

“I’m asking everyone to keep his family, friends, and all of us who were lucky enough to know Brett in your prayers. Love you, my friend. I’ll see you again someday.”

Brett was also known for co-writing Jason Aldean’s The Truth, Rascal Flatts’ Summer Nights, and Kenny Chesney’s When The Sun Goes Down, among many other country hits.

Authorities believe Brett and his family were the only people on board the plane when it went down in North Carolina.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed in a statement: “A Cirrus SR22T crashed in a field in Franklin, North Carolina, at around 3 p.m. local time on Thursday, Sept. 18. Three people were on board.”