Brett James’ Final Interview, Recorded One Week Before His Death In Plane Crash, Has Been Released
on Sep 25, 2025
Country Music Community Mourns The Loss Of Songwriter Brett James
The final interview Brett James recorded before his tragic death has been released.
On September 18, a Cirrus SR22T aircraft belonging to Brett James crashed in Macon County, North Carolina. Brett, his wife Melody, and her daughter, Meryl, were killed in the crash.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the fatal accident. They told Country Rebel:
“An NTSB investigator is on scene documenting the scene, examining the aircraft. The aircraft will then be removed and taken to a secure facility for further evaluation.“
Brett James wrote 27 chart-topping singles and many other Top 10 hits. Some of his most well-known works include Jessica Andrews’ “Who I Am,” Dierks Bentley‘s “I Hold On,” Kenny Chesney‘s “Knowing You,” and Carrie Underwood‘s “Jesus, Take the Wheel.”
After news broke about Brett’s death, the country music community went into a deep state of mourning. The many artists he worked with over the years paid tribute to him on social media, remembering him as a talented writer and devoted friend.
“Brett’s passing is leaving a hole in all of us that I fear won’t ever go away. 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,” wrote Carrie Underwood in a touching tribute to Brett.
Kenny Chesney, who co-wrote several of his songs with Brett, shared his grief in an emotional post. He wrote:
“It’s hard to process his creative soul being gone. This kind of loss. I feel as if part of my creative soul went with him. It will be a void in my life and creativity forever. I’ve never known writing songs or being on the road without him.“
Brett James Shared The Joys Of Being A Songwriter In His Final Interview Before His Death
Just one week before his death, Brett James gave his final interview. He recorded a conversation with Bruce Wawrzyniak, the host of the Now Hear This Entertainment podcast.
In a newsletter Bruce shared with his followers, he expressed how shaken he was after learning that Brett died one week after they recorded the podcast together.
“Having just gone through a significant loss in my immediate family four weeks ago, this made even more of an impact,” Bruce said.
Bruce’s interview with Brett was released on Wednesday (September 24), six days after Brett’s death. Listeners can’t help but get emotional as they listen to Brett share the joys of his career as a longtime songwriter in Nashville.
As much as he loved writing music for others, Brett thoroughly enjoyed writing songs for himself. He said:
“That two weeks of just writing for myself? Probably the most fun I’ve ever had writing music. Period. Like, I can’t even describe how much joy that brought me just sitting literally by myself at my house, just making up stuff. And it was as much fun as I’ve had in a really long time.”
Brett also spoke about the story behind writing “Jesus, Take the Wheel” Plus, he described his friendship with Kenny Chesney, calling him “one of my favorite artists on planet Earth.”
“I always say that my favorite thing about being a songwriter in Nashville for thirty-plus years is the friendships you make,” Brett said.
Those who wish to hear Brett James’ final interview can search for it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Pandora, iHeartRadio, SoundCloud, and TuneIn. You can also find the interview here.
