Country music has lost one of its most recognizable voices.

David Allan Coe, the outlaw country legend known for hits like “You Never Even Called Me by My Name,” has passed away at the age of 86.

His death was reported by Rolling Stone on Wednesday, April 29, although the cause of death has not been disclosed yet.

Born on September 6, 1939, in Akron, Ohio, Coe’s upbringing was far from typical. He spent a significant part of his youth in and out of correctional institutions, experiences that would later influence the rebellious, outsider persona that characterized both his life and his music.

His musical style fused elements of blues, rock, and country, and his voice was often described as a rich, raspy baritone.

When he arrived in Nashville in 1967, success didn’t come immediately — but it eventually did. Coe first gained attention as a songwriter, achieving a major hit when Tanya Tucker took “Would You Lay With Me (In a Field of Stone)” to No. 1 in 1973.

That significant breakthrough created opportunities, leading to a contract with Columbia Records.

By 1974, Coe fully embraced the limelight with his first album, The Mysterious Rhinestone Cowboy. The following year, his album Once Upon a Rhyme introduced what would turn into his iconic song: “You Never Even Called Me by My Name.” This track, rich in humor and self-reflection, famously features the spoken line where Coe refers to it as “the perfect country and western song.”