Tanya Montana Coe tells EW that she last heard from the country musician, who died this week at 86, in 2013.

David Allan Coe’s daughter says all 8 of his kids lost touch with controversial singer before his death (exclusive)

Tanya Montana Coe tells EW that she last heard from the country musician, who died this week at 86, in 2013.

By Wesley Stenzel

Wesley Stenzel

Wesley Stenzel is a news writer at **. He began writing for EW in 2022.

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on May 2, 2026 4:45 p.m. ET

David Allan Coe; Tanya Montana Coe. Credit:

Ben Hider/Getty;Tanya Montana Coe/Instagram

- Tanya Montana Coe tells ** that neither she nor her seven siblings "had access" to their father, singer David Allan Coe, before his death.

- She reflected on the last time she spoke to the controversial country musician.

- Coe also paid tribute to her father's accomplishments: "I am so proud."

David Allan Coe's daughter has offered more insight on the controversial country singer's relationships with his children after he died at 86 on Wednesday.

Known for hits like "The Ride" and "'Willie, Waylon and Me," Coe also wrote Tanya Tucker’s 1973 single "Would You Lay With Me (In a Field of Stone)" and Johnny Paycheck’s 1977 single "Take This Job and Shove It," both of which reached No. 1 on the *Billboard* Hot Country Songs chart. However, Coe was also remembered for releasing some of "the most racist, misogynist, homophobic, and obscene songs recorded by a popular songwriter," as *The New York Times* reported in 2000. He tried to distance himself from that music later in his life.

His daughter Tanya Montana Coe's social media posts made headlines this week after she said she was not told about her father's death, nor was she "given the opportunity to see him one last time" before he died.

Now, she has opened up to ** about her and her siblings falling out of touch with the late musician.

"The last time I 'spoke' with him was when I was texting with him when he was in the hospital after the car accident," Coe says, referring to the 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."

Coe says her father kept his distance from her and all of her siblings. "I don't know if I should speak for them, but none of us eight children had access to him," she tells EW. "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."

Tanya Montana Coe performs in 2018.

David A. Smith/Getty

Regardless of their relationship, the singer's daughter, who is also a musician, remains proud of her father's accomplishments.

"All of us children loved and will continue to love our dad more than this dimension can contain," she says. "I know he loved us and was proud of us. I know he was suffering emotionally inside always. He had an extremely traumatic childhood/early adult life, and I am so proud of what he made of himself as an artist."

She adds, "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."

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When reached for comment about Tanya's posts, David Allan Coe's former manager, Ken Madson, shared his own perspective. "I was David’s manager of record for a time during the end of his career. He was estranged from his children when I started working with him, and I never knew the reason(s) why," he says. "Any feelings any of his children have about their father passing are valid, and my heart goes out to them."

Madson adds that he, too, fell out of contact with the singer. "I wish there was something I could do, but like many in David's life, I lost touch with him," he says. "I do not have any details on plans for his funeral and it's unlikely I will be informed."

David Allan Coe in Austin performs in 2019.

Rick Kern/WireImage

The musician's booking agent, David Wade, confirmed the singer's death to EW on Thursday, saying he died in a hospital at around 5:08 p.m. on Wednesday. "He was a complicated man [and] outlaw, and a great songwriter, singer, and showman," Wade said. "He had fans from around the world and appreciated them all."

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Tanya previously reflected on her distance from her father in a Facebook post. "I thought 'estrangement' was the right word to use when you aren't trying to place blame on either party or anyone in particular, which I have tried to be careful to do," she said. "I didn't realize that most people think estrangement means that I chose to cut off my dad. That is the opposite of the truth, and I regret ever having used that word now."

"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 added. "I know why he chose that route, and it really doesn't have anything to do with me or our love for one another."

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