Carrie Underwood is paying tribute to singer-songwriter Brett James.
The country music star, 42, penned a touching tribute after the late artist died in a plane crash on Thursday. He was 57.
Also on board was his wife, Melody Wilson, 59, and her daughter, Meryl Maxwell Wilson, 28, per Daily Mail.
“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 began in her Friday Instagram post.
“Brett was the epitome of ‘cool,’ the singer continued. “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.”
Underwood went on to call James a “good guy,” recounting one of the ways his character showed through while working together.
“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,” she reflected. “He wouldn’t have it. He insisted that everything be equal. He was just that kind of guy…”
Underwood told fans she and James would sing together at church, noting that he “loved the Lord. Which is the only comfort we can hold on to now.”
“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,” she said about her hit song “Jesus, Take the Wheel.” “I won’t ever sing one note of them again without thinking of him.”
Underwood ended her heartfelt post, admitting that James’ death “is leaving a hole in all of us that I fear won’t ever go away.”
“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,” she concluded before asking for prayers. “Love you, man. I’ll see you again someday.”
“Jesus, Take the Wheel” was released on October 18, 2005, and served as the first single from Underwood’s debut album “Some Hearts.”
The tune spent six weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. It also landed at number four on Billboard’s Hot Christian Songs chart and Adult Contemporary chart.
“Jesus, Take the Wheel” also became a top twenty hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and sold over 2.7 million copies in the United States.
The record is certified two-times Platinum by the RIAA.
In 2007, Underwood won the Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for the track and Best New Artist. The song also took home the trophy for Single Record of the Year at the 2006 Academy of Country Music Awards.
After news of James’ death broke, a slew of country stars shared personal tributes on Instagram.
“Rest in peace pal. Total stud. Fellow aviator. One of the best singer-songwriters in our town….total legend,” Dierks Bentley, 49, penned. “I brought a couple of roughy sketched verse ideas of ‘I Hold On’ to Brett after my dad died and he just did his thing. The chorus is all him.”
“When I sing that song live, I’m always thinking of my dad, but I also think about that day we wrote it. He just got it, just lit into it,” he continued. “It was one of the first times we wrote and I decided to drop the most meaningful and necessary idea of a song I had on him, because I felt like God was telling me to do so. Our friendship and that song changed my life. 💔 Prayers for his family.”
James was flying on his private jet with his wife and her daughter, who had just celebrated her birthday, when the plane crashed and killed them, officials reported on Friday.
The trio was on the hitmaker’s Cirrus SR22T when it went down in an open field in Franklin, North Carolina, Thursday afternoon, according to Daily Mail.
Instagram / @melodycarole1
James and Wilson tied the knot on New Year’s Day 2022.
Wilson had shared pictures of their wedding day on social media on the time, writing, “What an awesome year! August 21st Brett and I got married. Lucky me.”
