David Allan Coe, singer who wrote "Take This Job and Shove It," dies at 86

Entertainment David Allan Coe, country singer who wrote "Take This Job and Shove It," dies at age 86 April 30, 2026 / 9:22 AM EDT / CBS/AP Add CBS News on Google David Allan Coe, the country singer-songwriter who wrote the working class anthem "Take This Job and Shove It" and had hits with "You Never Even Called Me By My Name" and "The Ride" among others, has died, a representative for Coe confirmed to CBS News. He was 86.Coe died in a hospital around 5 p.m. Wednesday, his manager David Wade confirmed to CBS News in a statement Thursday. The cause of death wasn't disclosed. "He was a complicated man, an outlaw, and a great Songwriter, Singer, and Showman," Coe said. "He had fans from around the world and appreciated them all."Coe's wife, Kimberly Hastings Coe, told Rolling Stone he was one of the best singers and songwriters of our time."My husband, my friend, my confidant and my life for many years. I'll never forget him and I don't want anyone else to ever forget him either," she wrote to the publication. Singer-songwriter David Allan Coe performs on July 4, 2019, in Austin, Texas. Rick Kern/WireImage for Shock Ink/Getty Images Whether he was labeled outlaw or underground, Coe was clearly an outsider in Nashville's music establishment, even throughout his successes as an in-demand songwriter and singer, eventually developing a core following around his raw, often obscene lyrics and a checkered and somewhat mysterious past.His wife posted on Facebook in September 2021 that he had been hospitalized with COVID-19 and he made few appearances since then. He did concert tours with Willie Nelson, Kid Rock, Neil Young and others. He wrote "Take This Job and Shove It," a hit by Johnny Paycheck in 1977, and "Would You Lay With Me (in a Field of Stone)," a hit by Tanya Tucker in 1974. He was also the first country singer to record "Tennessee Whiskey," penned by Dean Dillon and Linda Hargrove, that has since become a genre standard and hits for George Jones and Chris Stapleto...