AKRON, OHIO — Country singer and songwriter David Allan Coe died Wednesday at the age of 86 in Akron, Ohio. A representative said he died around 5 p.m., and the cause of death was not disclosed.

His wife, Kimberly Hastings Coe, confirmed his death. "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 also called him "One of the best singers, songwriters, and performers of our time [and] never to be forgotten."

A representative said in a statement, "David is a musical treasure. Even in his years of declining health, David appreciated all of the fans."

Born in Akron, Coe spent time in reformatories as a youngster and served time in an Ohio prison from 1963 to 1967 for possession of burglary tools. He recorded his first album, Penitentiary Blues, using songs he wrote behind bars.

Coe later signed with Columbia Records and released The Mysterious Rhinestone Cowboy, which became his nickname after he performed in a rhinestone suit and mask. His own country hit recordings included "You Never Even Call Me By My Name," written by Steve Goodman and an uncredited John Prine, along with "The Ride" and "Mona Lisa Lost Her Smile." He also recorded "Longhaired Redneck."

As a songwriter, he wrote "Take This Job and Shove It," which became a hit for Johnny Paycheck in 1977, and "Would You Lay With Me (in a Field of Stone)," a hit for Tanya Tucker in 1974. He was the first country singer to record "Tennessee Whiskey," penned by Dean Dillon and Linda Hargrove, a song that had later hit versions by George Jones and Chris Stapleton.

Coe toured with Willie Nelson, Kid Rock and Neil Young, and appeared in films including "Stagecoach" and "Take This Job and Shove It." In the early 1980s, he released two underground albums, Nothing Sacred (1978) and Underground Album (1982), sold via biker magazines, with songs that have been described as racist, misogynist, homophobic and obscene. His last commercial record, released in 2006, was a collaboration with Dimebag Darrell and other former members of Pantera.

In 2013, he survived a crash when a semi-truck struck his Suburban at a Florida intersection after he ran a red light at 1:30 a.m. In 2016, court documents show, Coe was ordered to pay the Internal Revenue Service more than $980,000 in restitution for obstructing the tax agency and was sentenced to three years' probation. In September 2021, his wife posted on Facebook that he had been hospitalized with Covid-19; he was hospitalized for a month and made few public appearances afterward.

His final album is set for posthumous release later this year. Manager Ken Madson, who owns the recording, said he hopes to release it on September 6, which would have been Coe's 87th birthday. Coe recorded the still-untitled album for a label in 2017, but executives shelved the project. It will include previously unreleased songs and new material, including a track called "A Million Reasons." Madson plans to approach Kimberly Hastings Coe about releasing the album together.