Inside Brett James’ family heartbreak: Wife of Grammy-winning songwriter says she still “cannot believe” the shocking plane crash that claimed his life — and reveals the final phone call that now haunts her
rett James, a Grammy-winning singer-songwriter behind some of country music’s biggest hits, died in a plane crash in North Carolina on September 17. He was 57 years old. The musician was killed alongside two other passengers, identified as Melody Carole and Meryl Maxwell Wilson, when the single-engine Cirrus SR22T aircraft they were traveling in from John C. Tune Airport in Nashville, crashed near Iotla Valley Elementary School in Franklin, NC, according to WTVF. “A Cirrus SR22T crashed in a field in Franklin, North Carolina, around 3 p.m. local time on Thursday, Sept. 18. Three people were on board,” the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement, adding it will investigate the incident with the National Transportation Safety Board.
The Macon County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that no students or staff at the school were injured from the crash. “To the parents that have children that attend Iotla school. The students, and staff are safe. There was an airplane accident on the neighboring property. Again all students and staff are safe,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement on Facebook.
Family
Brett, who was born Brett James Cornelius, is survived by his wife, Sandra Cornelius, and their four children, three sons and a daughter named Clare. Not much is known about his private life, but he lived with his family in Nashville, Tennessee. One of his last posts on Instagram was a group photo of him and his loved ones on June 16, which he captioned: “Such an amazing Father’s Day!!”
© InstagramHis song, “True Believer”, about the relationship between a father and daughter, was inspired by his kids, especially his relationship with Clare. “I sort of loved watching them all cry as they listened to the song. My daughter and I will always have that moment, and we will always have that song,” he told American Songwriter.
© InstagramParents
Brett initially intended to follow in his physician father, Dr. Sam Cornelius’ footsteps and attended medical school at the University of Oklahoma before dropping out in his sophomore year to move to Nashville and pursue a music career after a friend helped him arrange meetings with three record labels. “Two of them kind of patted me on the head and sent me packing, but the third one was with Arista Records, and at the time, they were the best record label around,” he told The Oklahoma in 2009.
© Getty ImagesWhile he didn’t end up as a physician like his dad, who passed away in 2007, music did run in the family as Brett’s father was a talented singer and his mother, Carolyn, was a classical pianist. “He’s the best singer in the family. He could have done it professionally, and I think he always wished he had,” Brett said of his dad. “He was really in favor of me pursuing music. I think he’s been able to live vicariously through me a little.”
© WireImage for NARASCareer
Brett released his self-titled album in 1995 after signing with Arista Nashville’s Career Records and released five singles in eight years that reached Billboard’s country chart. After turning his attention to songwriting, he found huge success and wrote songs for artists including Carrie Underwood (“Jesus, Take The Wheel,” “Cowboy Casanova”), Kenny Chesney (“When The Sun Goes Down,” “Out Last Night,” “Keg In the Closet”), Dierks Bentley (“I Hold On”), Jason Aldean (“The Truth”), and Rascal Flatts (“Summer Nights”).
