Brett James, the acclaimed songwriter who wrote for Billy Ray Cyrus, Kenny Chesney and Martina McBride, has passed away at the age of 57.
The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Famer suffered a gut wrenching death as he died in a plane crash on Thursday, September 18.
According to WLOS, James, whose full name is Brett James Cornelius, was on board a small-engine plane that went down in Macon County near Franklin, North Carolina, around 3 p.m. EST.
None of the three passengers survived, authorities say. The FAA reports that the aircraft was registered to Brett Cornelius of Brentwood, TN.
The late artist, who won a Grammy Award for his work on Carrie Underwood’s Jesus, Take The Wheel, left medical school for the music industry and soon became a behind-the-scenes star.
Early on, he wrote for Billy Ray Cyrus, Kenny Chesney and Martina McBride, and in 2001 landed his first No. 1 with “Who I Am” by Jessica Andrews.
