Grammy-winning songwriter Brett James, known for penning hits including Carrie Underwood’s “Jesus, Take the Wheel,” died in a small-engine plane crash on Thursday, according to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Grammy-winner Brett Cornelius aka Brett James and his wife and daughter died when his private aircraft crashed in a field in Franklin, N.C., on Thursday.

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Country singer Lauren Alaina is paying tribute to Brett James after the Grammy-winning songwriter died in a plane crash at the age of 57. On Friday Sept. 18, one day after James' death, Alaina took to her Instagram Story to share an emotional tribute to the country hitmaker.