Country Music Outlaw David Allan Coe Died On April 29, 2026
The country music community is mourning the loss of singer-songwriter David Allan Coe.
Coe passed away on April 29, 2026, at the age of 86. His representative told Country Rebel that Coe died in the hospital around 5 PM on the 29th. The rep said Coe had been in the intensive care unit prior to his passing.
The rep also shared a short but sweet statement about Coe, saying, “David loved his fans and music.”
Coe is survived by his wife of 16 years, Kimberly Hastings Coe, and his five children.
Known as one of country music’s “outlaws,” Coe served as the voice behind iconic tracks such as “The Ride” and “You Never Even Called Me By My Name.” He also wrote Johnny Paycheck‘s “Take This Job and Shove It” and Tanya Tucker‘s “Would You Lay With Me (In a Field of Stone).”
Additionally, Coe was the first artist to bring us another classic…”Tennessee Whiskey.”
Before George Jones Or Chris Stapleton, David Allan Coe Sang “Tennessee Whiskey”
During the CMA Awards in 2015, Chris Stapleton joined Justin Timberlake for a mashup performance of “Drink You Away” and “Tennessee Whiskey.” Stapleton, who was primarily known as a songwriter at the time, exploded in popularity after the performance went viral.
Stapleton’s studio recording of “Tennessee Whiskey” shot to #1 on the Hot Country Songs chart, despite never being released to radio as an official single.
Today, Stapleton’s version of “Tennessee Whiskey” is the best-selling country song of all time. In January 2026, His recording became the first and only country song to be certified 2x Diamond by the RIAA.
Plus, Stapleton’s take on “Tennessee Whiskey” is one of only a few country songs to exceed 1 billion streams on Spotify.
But the story of “Tennessee Whiskey” doesn’t start with Chris Stapleton.
George Jones released “Tennessee Whiskey” as a single in August 1983. The song peaked at #2 on the Hot Country Songs chart and was a #1 hit in Canada.
“Tennessee Whiskey” became a staple piece of Jones’ set from that point forward.
These days, when people refer to “Tennessee Whiskey” as Stapleton’s song, you’ll see many who are quick to defend Jones’ “original” version.
However, Jones wasn’t the first artist to sing “Tennessee Whiskey.” That was David Allan Coe.
“Tennessee Whiskey” was co-written by Dean Dillon and Linda Hargrove in 1981. They initially offered it to George Strait, but he declined.
Later that same year, Coe became the first artist to record the song, and he named an accompanying album after it. He also released “Tennessee Whiskey” as a single, and it peaked at #77 on the Hot Country Songs chart.
Due to the success of Jones’ and Stapleton’s renditions, Coe’s version of “Tennessee Whiskey” has occasionally been overshadowed. Following his death, we thought it was time to reintroduce it to y’all.
Give it a listen in the clip below…
