The country music community is grieving the shocking loss of Grammy Award-winning songwriter Brett James, who died in a plane crash in Franklin, North Carolina, alongside his wife and her daughter.
James, 57, was piloting his Cirrus SR22T private plane on Thursday afternoon when it went down in a field. His wife, Melody Wilson, 59, and her daughter, Meryl Maxwell Wilson, 28, were also on board. Tragically, none survived.
The crash came just one day after Meryl’s 28th birthday. Melody’s final words to her daughter, shared in a heartfelt social media post, read: “Happy Birthday my Love!! How Blessed am I to be your Momma! You’re the MOST BEAUTIFUL AMAZING HUMAN inside and out!”
A Love and Life Together
Brett and Melody built their life together in Nashville, where they had lived since at least 2020. The couple married on August 21, a milestone Melody celebrated in a New Year’s Day 2022 post, writing: “What an awesome year! August 21st Brett and I got married. Lucky me.”
Their journey was often shared with friends and followers through photos and messages that showed the joy of their blended family. Now, that love story has come to a heartbreaking end.
A Lasting Musical Legacy
Beyond his personal life, Brett James leaves behind a towering legacy in country music. Known for crafting hits for artists such as Taylor Swift and Dierks Bentley, he was perhaps most widely recognized for co-writing Carrie Underwood’s Grammy-winning ballad “Jesus, Take the Wheel.”
Though he recorded five singles that reached Billboard’s country chart, it was his songwriting that earned him lasting respect in Nashville, cementing his reputation as one of the industry’s greats.
James is also survived by his four children from his first marriage to Sandra Cornelius-Little.
A Community in Mourning
What was meant to be a week of birthday celebrations has turned into a time of mourning. Friends, family, and fans across Nashville and North Carolina are remembering not only Brett’s extraordinary contributions to music, but also the lives of Melody and Meryl, whose futures were cut tragically short.
