David Allan Coe, the country music outlaw and songwriter behind Take This Job and Shove It, has died at the age of 86.
As per PEOPLE, his representative said in a statement the You Never Even Called Me by My Name singer died at about 5:08 p.m. on Wednesday, April 29.
"David was a Country Music treasure and loved his fans," his rep said.
The rep went on to share, "Most importantly, he was a true outlaw and A great singer, songwriter, and performer."
He gained fame in the 1970s during the outlaw country era, known for songs such as You Never Even Called Me by My Name and Longhaired Redneck.
In the '80s, he scored country hits with The Ride and Mona Lisa Lost Her Smile.
Coe faced criticism over the use of slurs and racial stereotypes in his music, though he denied being racist.
He was also often criticized for displaying the Confederate flag.
Coe was born in Akron, Ohio, in 1939.
His musical journey began during incarceration, and after being released in 1967, he went to Nashville, where he played on the streets to make a living.
Coe released his debut album Penitentiary Blues in 1970 but found greater success as a songwriter, with hits like Tanya Tucker’s Would You Lay with Me (In a Field of Stone) and Johnny Paycheck’s Take This Job and Shove It, which earned him a Grammy nomination.
He later scored his own Top 10 country hit with You Never Even Called Me by My Name from his 1975 album Once Upon a Rhyme.
