On Monday, Carrie Underwood uploaded a precious photo of herself wedged between Keith Urban and her co-writer and cohort, Busbee. The popular American Idol alum let her Instagram users know that the death of close friend Michael James Ryan — Busbee to his colleagues and friends — had hit her hard.
Busbee was only 43-years-old at the time of his death reportedly due to an aggressive form of brain cancer called glioblastoma. The Grammy winner worked to free up Carrie for enough time to duet with Keith on “The Fighter.”
According to Taste of Country , Carrie was on tour in St. Louis with only a day to spare when the recording was meant to be made. She was free to work on the tune if the rest of the artists involved could go to her to make the single. Meanwhile, Keith had a schedule conflict as he was filming a video elsewhere in the nation.
This was no problem for the enterprising Busbee. He simply booked a recording studio in St. Louis, where he worked with Carrie. Then, at certain times during that session, Keith would take a break from filming to Facetime. The result was a winner.
“‘The Fighter’ was a Top 5 hit that was certified double-platinum and won an ACM Vocal Event of the Year. [Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban] performed the song at the 2017 Grammys,” reported Taste of Country .
The source shared that 2016 “was arguably Busbee’s breakout year as a songwriter.”
He had penned hits with Florida Georgia Line and with Hunter Hayes and also served as co-producer on Hero , Maren Morris winning album. In addition, he wrote some of her songs, including her “My Church” anthem.
“He also had a big hand in Urban’s progressive Ripcord album,” said Taste of Country .
From among Carrie’s 9 million followers, more than 22,000 liked her most recent upload that included her tribute to the late songwriter-producer within one hour of being shared. In addition, many offered the country singer words of consolation.
“Busbee Was an Amazing Songwriter & Producer! Busbee will be Truly Missed! RIP Busbee!!!’ remarked one follower, who added a heart emoji and a crying-face emoji.
“Sorry for your loss,” stated one concerned follower.
” So heartbreaking,” said celebrity trainer Erin Oprea.
“So sad. What happened…. so young,” wrote a fourth caring person.
While Carrie wrote about Busbee on social media on September 30, he was also remembered by Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton on their Instagram accounts. The couple said they have also been going through a rough time following Busbee’s death on Sunday.
Fans can follow Carrie Underwood on Instagram for updates.
