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Inside Brett James' family life as his last 'Father's Day' post goes viral: All about Sandra Cornelius & their 4 kids
Brett James, celebrated for 'Jesus, Take the Wheel,' was killed in a small plane crash. He is survived by his wife and four children.
Brett James, the Grammy-winning lyricist of the popular song "Jesus, Take the Wheel," lost his life in an aircraft accident. The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame announced the 57-year-old was one of three people who died in a small plane crash near Franklin, North Carolina, on Thursday.
Taking to social media, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame condoled his demise, saying that they "mourn the untimely loss" of James. The plane crashed in a field near to Iotla Valley Elementary School about 3 p.m., but "all students and staff are safe," according to a Facebook post from the Macon County Sheriff's Office.
All about Brett James wife and their children
Brett James, a mainstay of Nashville's songwriting industry, is survived by his wife, Sandra Cornelius, and their four children: three sons and a girl named Clare. While not much information is available about his personal life, he resided with his family in Nashville, Tennessee.
One of his last Instagram post showed him with his loved ones. The post, which was made on June 16, was captioned as: “Such an amazing Father's Day!!”
Reacting to the heartbreaking post, several loved ones and fans commented on the post following his sudden demise. “Sending love and comfort to you all during this heartbreaking time. May Brett’s memory live on through his music and your lives. He was an amazing man,” one person wrote.
“So sorry for your loss! ❤️” another wrote, while a third user said, “Sending prayers during this absolutely difficult time. May God be with all of you.”
“Sam and family I’m so very sorry for your loss. 🙏🙏,” a fourth user chimed in.
Also Read: Brett James net worth 2025: How much money did the Grammy-winning songwriter make?
‘True Believer’: James song inspired by father-daughter relationship
His kids, particularly his bond with Clare, inspired his song "True Believer," which is about a father-daughter relationship. Speaking to American Songwriter, he said, "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."
Brett launched his self-titled album in 1995 after contracting with Arista Nashville's Career Records, and he had five songs on the Billboard country chart in eight years. After focusing on songwriting, he achieved enormous success and created songs for artists such as Carrie Underwood ("Jesus, Take The Wheel," "Cowboy Casanova"), Dierks Bentley ("I Hold On"), Jason Aldean ("The Truth"), Kenny Chesney ("When The Sun Goes Down," "Out Last Night," "Keg In the Closet"), and Rascal Flatts ("Summer Nights").
