Kimberly, his widow, confirmed his death to Rolling Stone.
“One of the best singers, songwriters, and performers of our time [and] never to be forgotten,” she told 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.”
A spokesperson for Coe told The Music Universe the 86-year-old died on April 29 in intensive care at around 5 p.m. EST. No cause of death has been shared.
“David is a musical treasure,” the rep said, adding that the outlaw country legend “appreciated all of the fans.”
Born in Akron, Ohio, in 1939, Coe began his career in 1960s Nashville as a songwriter for established artists. His profile grew in 1973 when Tanya Tucker’s version of his ballad “Would You Lay With Me (In a Field of Stone)” topped the country charts.
Coe then signed with Columbia Records, releasing his debut album, The Mysterious Rhinestone Cowboy, in 1974. His 1975 album, Once Upon a Rhyme, also included one of his most famous songs, “You Never Even Called Me by My Name.”
In 1977, Coe achieved another No. 1 hit with Johnny Paycheck’s version of his song “Take This Job and Shove It.” A year earlier, Coe had released one of his most celebrated works, “Long Haired Redneck.”
Throughout his career, Coe released more than 40 studio albums.
Of course, Coe was known for stirring the pot, and his career wasn’t without controversy. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he self-released two “X-rated” albums, Nothing Sacred (1978) and Underground Album (1982), which contained racial and homophobic slurs and misogynistic language.
Meanwhile, Coe was married six times, even claiming to be a Mormon polygamist for a period in the ‘80s. He settled down with his sixth wife, Kimberly Hastings, in 2010. He had five children: Tyler, Tanya, Shyanne, Carson, and Shelli.
Coe also had legal troubles. In 2015, he pleaded guilty to impeding and obstructing the administration of tax laws and was sentenced to three years of probation. He was also ordered to pay the IRS nearly $1 million.
Coe is survived by his wife, Kimberly, and his five children.