David Allan Coe’s Cause of Death: What We Know About How the Singer Died

David Allan Coe, the outlaw country singer-songwriter known for blending major Nashville hits with a tough public image, died on Wednesday at 86. While his official cause of death has not been shared, the legendary singer had several health issues.

Coe’s wife, Kimberly Hastings Coe, confirmed his death to Rolling Stone. A representative said he passed away around 5:08 p.m. on Wednesday, April 29, in a hospital. He had been in intensive care before he died.

As of Thursday, no medical examiner, family member, or representative had publicly shared a cause of death. Reports about Coe’s passing mentioned his hospitalization but did not specify an illness or condition.

His wife paid tribute to him in a statement to Rolling Stone. She called him "one of the best singers, songwriters, and performers of our time" and expressed her wish for people to remember him.

"My husband, my friend, my confidant and my life for many years," Kimberly Hastings Coe wrote. "I’ll never forget him, and I don’t want anyone else to ever forget him either."

In his later years, Coe faced health issues. His wife noted on Facebook in 2021 that he had been hospitalized with COVID-19, and afterward, he made fewer public appearances, according to the AP.

Hollywood Life also mentioned earlier reports of a health scare in 2018; however, his band members later clarified that symptoms initially described as strokes were due to an inner ear infection.

Coe’s death marks the end of one of country music’s most complex careers. Born in Akron, Ohio, in 1939, he spent years in reformatories and was incarcerated in an Ohio prison from 1963 to 1967. He later said that music helped him cope during his time in prison.

"I’d have never made it through prison without my music," Coe told the AP in 1983. "No one could take it away from me."

After his release, Coe pursued a music career and put out his debut album, Penitentiary Blues, in 1970. He became known as The Mysterious Rhinestone Cowboy after performing in a rhinestone suit and mask.

Coe became an important figure in outlaw country, often working outside of Nashville’s mainstream. He wrote Johnny Paycheck’s 1977 hit Take This Job and Shove It, which became one of country music’s best-known working-class anthems. He also wrote Tanya Tucker’s 1974 No. 1 country hit, Would You Lay With Me (in a Field of Stone).

As a performer, Coe had hits with You Never Even Called Me by My Name, The Ride, and Mona Lisa Lost Her Smile. He was also the first country singer to record Tennessee Whiskey, which later became famous through George Jones and Chris Stapleton.

Coe’s career was filled with long-standing controversy because, early in his career, he released underground albums in the late 1970s and early 1980s that faced criticism for racist, homophobic, and obscene lyrics.

He later expressed regret for recording this material and told Billboard in 2001 that he did not perform those songs at concerts.

Coe continued to record for decades, releasing more than 40 studio albums. His last album, released in 2006, included a collaboration with members of Pantera. He is survived by his wife and children.