Carrie Underwood pays tribute to "Jesus, Take the Wheel" writer Brett James following his tragic death in a plane crash on September 18.
Carrie Underwood is honoring a cherished partner. After Brett Jame, who co-wrote the song "Jesus, Take the Wheel" from 2005, passed away in a plane disaster in North Carolina on September 18, the vocalist of "Before He Cheats" posted a heartfelt remembrance.
"Some things are just unfathomable," Underwood started on September 19 in an Instagram post. "The loss of Brett James to his family, friends and our music community is too great to put into words."
"Brett’s passing is leaving a hole in all of us that I fear won’t ever go away," she revealed. "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."
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Underwood, 42, continued by reminiscing about some of her best times spent with James, 57, whom she described as a "good guy" and the "epitome of 'cool'."
This was particularly true of their collaboration, which brought her a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance and him a Grammy Award for Best Country Song for "Jesus, Take the Wheel."
"I remember writing with him on a song that he basically wrote 75% of and had ready when he walked in the room," Underwood stated. "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."
The American Idol judge also shared her admiration for James' faith, calling his love of God "the only comfort we can hold on to now."
"We even had the pleasure of singing together at church," she went on. "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. I won’t ever sing one note of them again without thinking of him."
The singer concluded by requesting that followers offer prayers for his family. "Love you, man. I’ll see you again someday."
The North Carolina State Highway Patrol verified to NBC News that James and two women on board, Melody Carole and Meryl Maxwell Wilson, were killed when his plane crashed 270 miles away in North Carolina after taking off from the John C. Tune Airport in Nashville, Tennessee, on September 18.
