Carrie Underwood shared a heartfelt tribute to late songwriting legend Brett James, who died in a small plane crash in North Carolina on Thursday (September 18). He was 57.
James, reportedly one of three people aboard the aircraft, is credited with writing or co-writing some of the most beloved hits by the genre’s biggest artists, including one of Underwood’s first singles after her American Idol victory in 2005, “Jesus, Take the Wheel.”
“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 wrote in her caption as she shared a few photos on Instagram on Friday (September 19). “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. 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.
“He was a good guy,” she continued. “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…
