David Allan Coe, the legendary and deeply controversial country singer known for hits like ‘The Ride’ and ‘Willie, Waylon and Me’, passed away at the age of 86 on Wednesday. Beyond his music, Coe also wrote Tanya Tucker’s 1973 single ‘Would You Lay With Me (In a Field of Stone)’ and Johnny Paycheck’s 1977 hit ‘Take This Job and Shove It’, both of which reached number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. His passing has since prompted his daughter, Tanya Montana Coe, to speak candidly about the family’s long and painful distance from the singer in his final years.Tanya revealed that none of Coe’s eight children had been in regular contact with their father before he passed, and that she was not informed of his passing nor given the chance to see him one last time.
Tanya Montana Coe on losing touch with her father
“The last time I spoke with him was when I was texting with him when he was in the hospital after the car accident,” Tanya told Entertainment Weekly, referring to a 2013 incident that left her father injured. “But I don’t know if I was actually talking to him or if it was someone else 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 children had access to him,” she said, before adding, “My sister Carla and I finally tracked down an address for him and performed two wellness checks on him in the last year and a half.”In an earlier Facebook post, Tanya had tried to clarify the nature of their estrangement. “I should have said my dad stopped reaching out, stopped seeing me when I would come to shows, and made it impossible for me to ever reach him despite my many efforts all through the years,” she wrote. “I know why he chose that route, and it really doesn’t have anything to do with me or our love for one another.”
Tanya Montana Coe on her father’s legacy and love for his children
Despite the years of distance, Tanya was clear that her feelings toward her father remain rooted in love and pride. “All of us children loved and will continue to love our dad more than this dimension can contain,” she said. “I know he loved us and was proud of us. I know he was suffering emotionally inside, always. He had an extremely traumatic childhood and early adult life, and I am so proud of what he made of himself as an artist.“She added, “All we kids ever really wanted was for him to feel free in his soul and in his spirit and be happy, and we hope he can be now.”
What those close to David Allan Coe have said
Coe’s former manager, Ken Madson, also shared his perspective with the publication. “He was estranged from his children when I started working with him, and I never knew the reason why,” he said. “Any feelings any of his children have about their father passing are valid, and my heart goes out to them,” Madson added that he, too, had eventually lost contact with the singer.His booking agent, David Wade, confirmed the news, saying Coe passed away at around 5:08 p.m. on Wednesday in a hospital. “He was a complicated man, outlaw, and a great songwriter, singer, and showman,” Wade said. “He had fans from around 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 kept them apart.
