Brett James’ wife, Melody Carole, and his stepdaughter, Meryl Maxwell Wilson, were both killed in the North Carolina plane crash that also claimed the country music songwriter’s life.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) revealed on Friday, September 19, that all three died when their single-engine Cirrus SR22T plane crashed into a field near Iotla Valley Elementary School in Franklin, North Carolina, on Thursday, September 18, according to The New York Times. The NTSB and the Federal Aviation Administration’s investigation into the crash is ongoing and a preliminary report is expected within 30 days.

According to the outlet, the plane was registered to Brett Cornelius, which a profile on the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame website suggested was the musician’s real name.

The Hall of Fame previously announced on Thursday that James died at age 57 in “a small-engine airplane crash,” though it was not known that Melody and Meryl were on board as well at the time.

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Meryl celebrated her 28th birthday on Tuesday, September 16, with what turned out to be a poignant last Instagram post: “28 years old.142 days sober.Extremely happy to be here.”

Her mother Melody’s penultimate Instagram post was a loving tribute to Meryl in honor of her birthday.

“How Blessed am I to be your Momma,” Melody wrote on Wednesday, September 17. “You’re the MOST BEAUTIFUL AMAZING HUMAN inside and out! I’m humbled and grateful everyday for your shining presence in my life! God has already used you for His Kingdom in so many ways and so much more to come! No words can express what a gift you are to me and everyone that KNOWS YOU!”

“MOMMMMAAA you’re the best thing in the world,” Meryl replied.

In January 2022, Melody — who was 59 at the time of her death — announced that she’d gotten married to James the previous summer, as she shared photos of the couple cutting their wedding cake.

“What an awesome year! August 21st Brett and I got married. Lucky me,” she wrote via Instagram at the time.

James was an award-winning singer-songwriter who wrote music for Taylor Swift, Jessica Simpson, Kelly Clarkson, Bon Jovi and the Backstreet Boys throughout his 30-year career. His most famous composition was cowriting Carrie Underwood’s 2006 hit “Jesus, Take the Wheel,” which topped the Billboard Hot Country chart and won Grammy Awards for Best Female Country Vocal Performance and Best Country Song.

Underwood remembered James as a “good guy” who once gave her an equal songwriting credit for a track that he “basically wrote 75 percent of.”

“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,” Underwood, 42, recalled in a post via Instagram on Friday. “He wouldn’t have it. He insisted that everything be equal.”

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Underwood went on, “Brett loved the Lord. Which is the only comfort we can hold on to now. We even had the pleasure of singing together at church. 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.”

Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Sara Evans and many more of James’ collaborators also offered their condolences via social media.

“Heartbroken to hear of the loss of my friend Brett James tonight. I had nothing but love and respect for that guy and he helped change my life,” Aldean, 48, wrote via X on Thursday. “Honored to have met him and worked with him. Thoughts and prayers going out to his family. .”

James is survived by four adult children, three sons and a daughter, from his marriage to ex-wife Sandra Cornelius-Little.