Nashville is mourning the loss of Brett James, a beloved and highly respected songwriter, who died on Thursday, September 18, 2025, in a plane crash in Franklin, North Carolina. He was 57 years old. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the accident involved a Cirrus SR22T aircraft that crashed around 3 p.m. local time near Iotla Valley Elementary School, not far from the Macon County Airport. There were three people on board, including James, and all of them died in the crash. Investigations are currently underway by the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board. A Change of Career Guided by Passion. Brett James, born Brett Cornelius on June 5, 1968, in Columbia, Missouri, originally planned to become a doctor. He enrolled in medical school at the University of Oklahoma, but during his studies, he realized that his true passion was music. Trusting his instincts, he made the difficult decision to leave medical school and pursue a career in the music industry—a decision that would lead him to…