Outlaw country music star David Allan Coe has died at the age of 86.
The controversial singer-songwriter passed away on Wednesday, his widow Kimberly confirmed to Rolling Stone.
“One of the best singers, songwriters, and performers of our time (and) never to be forgotten,” she wrote to the outlet. “My husband, my friend, my confidant and my life for many years. I’ll never forget him and I don’t want anyone else to ever forget him either.”
Coe is best known for his ’70s songs You Never Even Called Me by My Name and Longhaired Redneck as well as the ’80s tracks The Ride and Mona Lisa Lost Her Smile.
He also wrote hit songs for other artists, including Would You Lay with Me (In a Field of Stone) for Tanya Tucker and Take This Job and Shove It, popularised by Johnny Paycheck. The latter earned Coe a Grammy nomination.
Over the course of his career, he released over 40 albums, including the controversial Nothing Sacred and Underground Album in the late ’70s and ’80s. While he had used racist language before, he sparked outrage over the use of racial slurs, hate speech and homophobic and misogynistic lyrics in those two albums. Coe denied he was a racist at the time.
In addition, the musician also got into legal trouble in the 2010s. In 2015, he pleaded guilty to obstructing America’s Internal Revenue Service (IRS) from collecting taxes and was ordered to pay nearly $1 million (£741,000) the following year.
Coe was married six times, most recently to Kimberly in 2010.
He is survived by his wife and his five children: Tyler, Tanya, Shyanne, Carson and Shelli.
A cause of death has not been disclosed.
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Author: Al Dente
Photo: Matthew Woitunski from Amesbury, MA, USA