James, 57, his girlfriend Melody Wilson, 59, and her daughter Meryl Maxwell Wilson were aboard the musician's Cirrus SR22T plane when it crashed on Thursday.

The hitmaker is being remembered for his array of successful tracks, including Carrie Underwood's Jesus, Take The Wheel.

According to preliminary information from the FAA, A Cirrus SR22T crashed in a field in Franklin, North Carolina, killing three on board.