David Allan Coe, the legendary and highly controversial country singer known for songs like “The Ride” and “Willie, Waylon and Me,” died at the age of 86 on Wednesday. In addition to his music, Coe also wrote Tanya Tucker’s 1973 single “Will You Lay With Me (In a Field of Stone)” and Johnny Beach’s 1977 hit “Take This Job and Shove It,” both of which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
His death has since prompted his daughter Tanya Montana Coe to speak openly about the long and painful distance the family traveled with the singer in his final years.Tanya revealed that none of Ko’s eight children had regular contact with their father before his death, and that she was not informed of his death nor given the opportunity to see him one last time.
Tanya Montana Coe after losing contact with her father
“The last time I talked to him was when I was texting with him when he was in the hospital after a car accident,” Tanya told Entertainment Weekly, referring to a 2013 incident that left her father injured.
“But I don’t know if I’m actually talking to him or if someone else is pretending to be him from his phone.”She went on to reveal that the distance was not limited to her alone. “I don’t know if I should speak for them, but none of us eight kids have been able to reach him,” she said, before adding: “My sister Carla and I finally found an address for him and have done two health checks on him in the last year and a half.”In a previous post on Facebook, Tania tried to clarify the nature of the estrangement between them.
“I should have said that my father stopped communicating with me, stopped seeing me when I came to shows, and made it impossible for me to reach him despite my many efforts over the years,” she wrote. “I know why he chose this path, and it really has nothing to do with me or our love for each other.”
Tanya Montana Coe talks about her father’s legacy and his love for his children
Despite the years of distance, Tanya was clear that her feelings for her father were still rooted in love and pride.
“All of us children loved our father and will continue to love him more than this dimension can contain,” she said. “I know he loved us and was proud of us. I know he was always struggling emotionally inside. He had a very traumatic childhood and early adult life, and I’m very proud of what he did for himself as an artist.”
““All we kids really wanted was for him to feel free in his spirit and spirit and be happy, and we hope he can do that now,” she added.
What those close to David Allan Coe said
Coe’s former manager, Ken Madson, also shared his perspective with the publication. “He was separated from his children when I started working with him, and I never knew why,” he said. “Any feelings any of his children have about their father’s death are valid, and my heart goes out to them,” Madson added, adding that he too eventually lost touch with the singer.His booking agent, David Wade, confirmed the news, saying Coe died at around 5:08pm on Wednesday in hospital. “He was a complex man, an outlaw, a great songwriter, singer and showman,” Wade said. “He had fans from all over the world and appreciated them all.”As the family continues to process the loss of their father, Tanya’s words paint a picture of a complicated relationship between a legendary artist and the children who loved him despite the years of silence that separated them.