Heartbreaking…
Outlaw country legend David Allan Coe passed away back on April 29, 2026 at the age of 86 in an intensive care unit following years of health battles.
The country legend had a rough upbringing in his hometown of Akron, Ohio, being sent away to reform school at the age of 9 and spending the majority of his childhood and early adulthood either in reform school or behind bars. But while serving time in prison in his hometown of Akron, Ohio, Coe developed a love for songwriting and moved to Nashville to pursue a career in music after being released in 1967 – eventually getting discovered while living in a hearse outside of the Ryman Auditorium.
Among his legendary catalog, Coe is best known for songs like “You Never Even Called Me By My Name,” “Longhaired Redneck,” “The Ride” and of course the original version of “Tennessee Whiskey,” which later also became a hit for George Jones and Chris Stapleton, whose version of the song became just the third song in history to sell 20 million units and go double-diamond. He also wrote songs like “Take This Job And Shove It,” which would become a hit for Johnny Paycheck.
But aside from David Allan Coe the artist, David Allan Coe the man experienced plenty of struggles in his personal life. A battle with the IRS cost him the publishing rights to most of his biggest hits, and ultimately led to him being forced to file bankruptcy after his financial records were destroyed in a flood. And a 2013 car wreck in which Coe was t-boned by a semi-truck led to severe injuries.
It seems like the wreck was a turning point of sorts in Coe’s life, because it also marks the point that he apparently fell out of contact with his children. At that point Coe was married to his sixth wife, Kim, and had eight children from previous marriages.
In the wake of his passing, several of Coe’s children have opened up about their relationship with their father, noting that he stopped contacting all of them after the 2013 wreck. And in a letter posted to social media this weekend, his daughter Tanya Montana Coe detailed the lengths she went to in an attempt to reconnect with her father.
Tanya, who is an artist herself, says that at the beginning of her father’s relationship with Kim, everything seemed fine – but that about a year in, something changed:
“When my dad started dating Kim, I really liked her. She was nice to us. Shyanne (12) and I (14) were out on the road and Kim took us shopping and stayed in the hotel room with us and was really just very sweet with us girls and even shared some of her story about her abusive ex, the father of her child, and it made us feel sorry for her and her son. I would say about a year or so into their relationship, there was a shift and I don’t know what caused that shift, but the warmth from my dad and Kim was gone.”
She says that she attempted to power through and put in effort with her father and his wife, but that things changed after the 2013 wreck when her calls and texts started going unanswered:
“When the 2013 wreck happened, I was texting my dad’s phone and kim’s phone. I was wanting to come to the hospital and trying to get details of where it was. Kim told me not to come to the hospital, that it was too hectic with all the nurses and that they would be checking out soon and that I could come stay with them at the house once they got dad home and I could help take care of him in his recovery. I was ready and waiting on standby. I never heard from them again. READ THAT AGAIN. I NEVER HEARD FROM THEM AGAIN. My texts and calls went unanswered, unreturned.”
By this point her siblings had also stopped hearing from their father, and he returned to the stage a few months later and announced that his band and family had abandoned him – something that his children strongly deny. And Tanya says that she continued to try to get in contact with him for years, even going so far as to watch the news to try to get a clue as to where her father might be.
In 2021, David Allan Coe was hospitalized for a severe case of COVID, and Tanya says she was eventually able to track him down – but was blocked when she tried to actually talk to him, though she was able to get him a letter through one of his nurses:
“When i saw the news about him being in the hospital with covid, i called around to so many hospitals trying to find where he was, I found it. The nurse wouldn’t let me speak to him so i asked her if she would please give him a note for me, she said she would. It said “Dad, i love you and i am here for you. please call me if you want. feel better soon.” and had my phone number on it although my phone number has not changed since I got a cell phone.”
Well she still didn’t hear from him, but a couple of years later someone sent her a phone number for her father and his wife, so she tried reaching out to him – and still never got an answer. She also found an address online, and says she asked Adult Protective Services to do a welfare check to make sure he was ok.
Ultimately, Tanya says she continued to text Kim and plead with her to let her see her dad, but her pleas were never acknowledged:
“I texted Kim pleading for her to let me talk to dad and to let me help her take care of him…no response.
I did not abandon my father. I would have loved to have been able to be there for him and take care of him and love on him, especially during his retirement years as that would have been such beautiful & valuable time together.”
Such a heartbreaking situation.
At the end of the day, we have no idea why David Allan Coe made the decisions that he made and why he didn’t want to have contact with his children, who apparently were desperately trying to get in touch with him to maintain a relationship with their father:
“For me personally, I don’t need his material possessions or whatever royalties were still in his name. My relationship and love for my dad never had anything to do with money or fame. He was my dad. I have everything I need in my heart.”
Such a sad situation, but hopefully his children are able to find peace with how things played out.
