Carrie Underwood Mourns Songwriter Brett James After His Tragic Passing

Carrie Underwood is grieving the heartbreaking loss of her longtime collaborator and friend, Brett James, who tragically died in a plane crash at the age of 57.

“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,” Underwood, 42, shared in a moving Instagram post on Friday, September 19.

She went on to recall vivid memories of James: “Brett was the epitome of ‘cool.’ I see him in my mind riding up to my cabins to write on his motorcycle, his hair somehow perfectly coiffed despite being under a helmet for however long.”

James, who died on Thursday, September 18, in North Carolina alongside three other passengers, is survived by his wife and their four children.

A Partnership of Hits

Though James was a talented solo musician, he was best known for his remarkable songwriting that shaped modern country music. He cowrote several of Carrie Underwood’s biggest hits, including “Jesus, Take the Wheel,” “Flat on the Floor,” and “Cowboy Casanova.”

Underwood fondly remembered one of her favorite moments: “I always loved hearing him sing ‘Cowboy Casanova’ because a sassy girl anthem should’ve sounded ridiculous coming from a macho dude like him, but somehow, he even made that cool.”

She also recalled his humility and generosity in the writing room: “He basically had 75 percent of a song written when we sat down. I told him later I didn’t feel right splitting the credit evenly, but he insisted that everything be equal.”

 

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A Man of Faith

For Underwood, what stood out most about James was his faith: “Brett loved the Lord. Which is the only comfort we can hold on to now. We even had the pleasure of singing together at church. My favorite songs to sing are the ones we wrote about Jesus because they came from such a genuine, pure place. I’ll never sing those songs again without thinking of him.”

His death, she admitted, leaves “a hole in all of us that I fear won’t ever go away.”

A Final Goodbye

Underwood ended her tribute with a powerful reminder: “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. I’m asking all of you to pray for his family, friends and all of us that were blessed enough to know Brett. Love you, man. I’ll see you again someday.”