Grammy Award-winning songwriter Brett James, 57, and his family tragically lost their lives in a plane crash on Thursday, Sept. 18.
The accident occurred at approximately 3 p.m. in Franklin, North Carolina, when the small aircraft piloted by James crashed in a field near an elementary school. The crash claimed the lives of all three passengers onboard: Brett James, his 59-year-old wife Melody Carole Wilson, and his 28-year-old stepdaughter Meryl Maxwell Wilson.
Meryl had celebrated her 28th birthday just two days before the crash. In what has now become her final social media post, she shared a heartfelt message about her sobriety journey, writing, "28 years old. 142 days sober. Extremely Happy to be here."
Brett and Melody had married in August 2021. Melody's last social media post featured a nostalgic photo of the couple alongside the late actor Robert Redford, who passed away on Sept. 16. A commenter noted, "How bittersweet is this photo? They're all together now."
Brett James, renowned for his prolific songwriting career, had penned over 500 songs for major artists. He won a Grammy Award for Best Country Song in 2006 with "Jesus, Take the Wheel," performed by Carrie Underwood. The country music star paid tribute to James on social media, sharing a heartfelt message and a photo of the two together.
"Some things are just unfathomable. The loss of Brett James to his family, friends and our music community is too great to put into words," wrote Underwood. She recalled his generosity and talent, saying, "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…"
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