David Allan Coe, Writer of 'Take This Job and Shove It,' Dies at 86

Country singer-songwriter David Allan Coe has died at age 86. A representative confirmed to People, as reported by ABC News and the Associated Press, that Coe died around 5 p.m. Wednesday. No cause of death was disclosed.

The Details

Coe's widow, Kimberly Hastings Coe, confirmed his death to Rolling Stone. In a statement, she called him 'one of the best singers, songwriters, and performers of our time' and said he was 'never to be forgotten.' She described him as 'my husband, my friend, my confidant and my life for many years' and said she never wanted anyone to forget him.

Coe carved out a permanent place in country music history as a prolific and often provocative songwriter. His best-known composition may be 'Take This Job and Shove It,' recorded by Johnny Paycheck, which hit No. 1 on the country charts in 1977, according to ABC News and the Associated Press. He also wrote Tanya Tucker's 'Would You Lay With Me (In a Field of Stone),' another enduring track from the era.

As a recording artist in his own right, Coe was a central figure in the outlaw country movement. Taste of Country reported that his catalogue includes 'You Never Even Called Me by My Name,' 'The Ride,' and 'Mona Lisa Lost Her Smile' — recordings that cemented his reputation as one of the genre's defining voices.

Coe spoke about the role music played in his own life in a 1983 interview with the Associated Press, reflecting on years spent in reformatories and prison before he launched his career in Nashville. 'I'd have never made it through prison without my music,' he said in that interview. 'No one could take it away from me.'

Born in Akron, Ohio, in 1939, Coe's path to Nashville ran through juvenile detention facilities and prison, according to ABC News and the Associated Press. That biography was not background detail for Coe — it was material. His music drew directly from those years, and his outlaw persona was built on lived experience as much as aesthetic choice.

Context

Coe's career was marked by both commercial success and sustained controversy, according to ABC News and the Associated Press. Alongside his mainstream country work, he released X-rated albums on independent labels that contained racist, homophobic, and sexually explicit material. That body of work created a complicated legacy — one that brought him a devoted following while also generating repeated criticism.

His final studio album was 2006's Rebel Meets Rebel, a collaboration with the late Dimebag Darrell and former Pantera members, according to ABC News and the Associated Press. The record was a crossover between outlaw country and heavy metal, releasing posthumously for Dimebag Darrell, who was killed in 2004. It stands as Coe's last documented recording project.

Coe's influence extended well beyond his own chart positions. 'Take This Job and Shove It' became one of country music's most recognizable anthems, crossing over into broader American culture as a shorthand for working-class frustration. Tanya Tucker recorded 'Would You Lay With Me' when she was 15 years old, and the song reached No. 1 in 1974 — a pairing that showcased Coe's range as a writer well before his own recording career peaked.

What's Next

No funeral arrangements or memorial plans had been publicly announced as of the time of reporting. Coe's widow, Kimberly Hastings Coe, issued her statement through Rolling Stone. No cause of death has been disclosed by the family or their representative.