Country songwriter Brett James, who penned some of the industry’s most successful songs, died in a plane crash Thursday in North Carolina, according to reports.

James, 57, whose hits include “Jesus Take the Wheel” and “I Hold On,” was one of three people aboard the single-engine Cirrus SR22T aircraft, according to FOX 17 and WTVF-TV in Nashville.

The plane had reportedly departed from John C. Tune Airport in Nashville, then crashed near an elementary school in Franklin, North Carolina. All three passengers were reportedly killed.

According the New York Post, the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.

James, a Grammy Award winner, signed a record deal with Career Records in 1992, according to Songwriter Universe.

He would go on to write songs

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