GRAMMY-Award winning songwriter Brett James has been killed in a plane crash.
James was among three people on board a small aircraft that crashed in a field near a North Carolina school.
Songwriter Brett James has been killed in a plane crash
The mangled wreckage of the plane that came down
James, 57, made his name as a songwriter and worked with top stars including the likes of , Rascal Flatts and Bon Jovi.
He clinched a Grammy Award in 2007 for the Carrie Underwood track Jesus Take The Wheel.
The plane involved in the crash was a Cirrus SR22T aircraft and it was registered to the music star, as per FlightAware data.
It took off from Nashville, Tennessee and crashed in Macon County at around 3pm local time on Thursday.
The cause of the plane crash remains unknown.
National Transportation Safety Board officials are set to launch an investigation into the horror.
James was a member of the National Songwriters Hall of Fame.
But, he initially started out as a solo artist.
He released his first album in 1995 before turning to songwriting.
James wrote country singer Jessica Andrews’ 2001 track Who I Am, which reached number one in the charts.
He penned music for single artists, as well as groups such as The Backstreet Boys and The Fray.
James wrote 26 number one songs, as well as several top 10 country hits.
Underwood’s track Jesus Take The Wheel picked up a slew of accolades.
It was named the SOCAN Song of the Year at the 2006 Canadian Country Music Awards.
Underwood picked up two Grammy’s for the track at the 2007 edition of the awards.
It prevailed in both the Best Country Song and Best Female Country Vocal Performance categories.
The track reached number one in Billboard’s US Hot Country Songs.
And, it was a top 20 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chartlist.
Underwood won American Idol just months after releasing the song.
Tributes have poured in for James after it emerged he was on board the plane.
“The NSAI family is stunned by the death of board member and legendary songwriter Brett James,” the Nashville Songwriters Association International, said.
“The loss is profound.”
Emergency crews rushed to the scene in North Carolina
Brett James with Ashley Gorley, Hillary Lindsey, Carrie Underwood, and Zach Crowell in 2016
James alongside Priscilla Renea in Los Angeles in 2016
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