Brett James’ wife, stepdaughter identified as other victims in North Carolina plane crash

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — Grammy-winning songwriter Brett James’ wife and stepdaughter have been confirmed as the other two victims in Thursday's small-engine plane crash in Franklin, North Carolina.

James’ close friend and fellow songwriter Lee Miller tells FOX 17 News that 59-year-old Melody Carole Wilson, James’ wife, and her daughter, 28-year-old Meryl Maxwell Wilson, were on board the plane with him. All three died in the crash.

Meryl has just celebrated her birthday two days prior, according to an Instagram post on Melody's account.

The Cirrus SR22T, registered to James, left Nashville and went down in a field west of Iotla Valley Elementary School, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. No one at the nearby school was injured.

James, 57, was a Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member whose songs were recorded by Carrie Underwood, Tim McGraw, Taylor Swift, and Bon Jovi. He was best known for writing Underwood’s hit “Jesus, Take the Wheel.”

Get reports like this and all the news of the day in Middle Tennessee delivered to your inbox each morning with the FOX 17 News Daily Newsletter.