Kenny Chesney is speaking out about the heartbreaking loss of his friend and frequent cowriter Brett James, who died in a small-engine plane crash on Sept. 18 in North Carolina. James was 57.

“A very difficult goodbye to my Brother Of The Sun Brett James. I haven’t wanted to post cause I didn’t want to believe it,” Chesney wrote on social media on Monday (Sept. 22). “Brett and I shared a unique bond. A Brotherhood. A kinship. We wrote ‘Reality’ and ‘Out Last Night’ on the same afternoon sitting on my pool deck in the Virgin Islands two days after Christmas. We had a lot of authentic life fun writing songs together over the years and I’m sure going to miss it.”

Chesney continued, “It’s hard to process his creative soul being gone. This kind of loss. I feel as if part of my creative soul went with him. It will be a void in my life and creativity forever. I’ve never known writing songs or being on the road without him. Half the songs in my shows are songs he wrote or songs we wrote together. So it’s impossible for me to do shows moving forward and not think about him. I can’t believe I’m saying it but adios Brett James. Thank you for being a lifer, for being a shirtless, sunburned troubadour, for your friendship, your songs and all the laughs. Save me a seat at the After Party!”

James was a close friend and creative collaborator of Chesney’s, as a writer on songs including “When The Sun Goes Down,” “Out Last Night,” “Just to Say We Did,” “Keg in the Closet,” “Spirit of a Storm” and many others. The late artist also wrote numerous songs for musicians including Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Jason Aldean, Tim McGraw and Rascal Flatts.

Alongside his tribute, Chesney shared photos of himself with James, including onstage performances, as well as behind-the-scenes trips and writing sessions.

Chesney ended his tribute with lyrics to one of the numerous songs James had a hand in writing, “Knowing You: “God we were so alive/ I was a kid on a carnival ride/ Holding my breath til the moment you were gonna leave me to soon/ But I’d do it all over cause damn it was good knowing you.”

James was a Grammy winner and a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame’s class of 2020, and officially inducted in 2021. He was also a CMA board member, a two-time ASCAP country songwriter of the year winner and launched the music publishing company Cornman Music.