Carrie Underwood spoke out after Brett James, a co-writer of her 2005 song “Jesus, Take the Wheel,” died in a plane crash Sept. 18.
Brett James, Grammy Award-Winning Songwriter, Dead After Plane Crash
Carrie Underwood is remembering a beloved collaborator.
The “Before He Cheats” singer shared a touching tribute after Brett James—who co-wrote her 2005 song “Jesus, Take the Wheel”—died in a plane crash in North Carolina on Sept. 18.
“Some things are just unfathomable,” Underwood began in an Instagram post Sept. 19. “The loss of Brett James to his family, friends and our music community is too great to put into words.”
“Brett’s passing is leaving a hole in all of us that I fear won’t ever go away,” she wrote. “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.”
Underwood, 42, went on to share some of her favorite memories with James, 57, who she called the “epitome of ‘cool'” and a “good guy.”
That’s especially true when it came to their working relationship, which earned him a Grammy Award for Best Country Song and her for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for “Jesus, Take the Wheel.”
“I remember writing with him on a song that he basically wrote 75% of and had ready when he walked in the room,” Underwood shared. “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.”
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The American Idol judge also shared her admiration for James’ faith, calling his love of God “the only comfort we can hold on to now.”
“We even had the pleasure of singing together at church,” she continued. “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.”
Ending by asking fans to pray for his family, the singer added, “Love you, man. I’ll see you again someday.”
Lester Cohen/Getty Images for ASCAP
James’ plane took off from the John C. Tune Airport in Nashville, Tenn., on Sept. 18 before crashing 270 miles away in North Carolina, killing the musician and two women onboard named Melody Carole and Meryl Maxwell Wilson, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol confirmed to NBC News.
The Federal Aviation Association (FAA) is investigating the incident.
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