The children of the late outlaw country musician David Allan Coe are speaking out after probate filings showed the singer excluded them from his will.
The anti-Nashville establishment country singer, whose career was marked by controversy and rebellion ,died at the age of 86 in an intensive care unit in Florida on April 29 following years of health complications, including a severe wreck in 2013 and a COVID-19 diagnosis in 2021 that landed him in the hospital.
In mid-July, Coe's children banded together and took to social media to bring attention to their father's will. In addition to seeking restitution, the siblings urged anyone who believes they are owed money by Coe to file a claim with the Hamilton County Probate Court in Cincinnati, Ohio.
"I have intentionally not provided for any of my children or their heirs in this Last Will and Testament, and their omission is not the result of accident or oversight," states the beginning ofCoe's will.
The executor of Coe's estate is his widow, Kimberly Hastings Coe, whom he married in 2010. According to comments from the children, she was uncommunicative during his later years and is thought to be the reason for their exclusion from the will.
What exactly do David Allan Coe's children want from his estate?
A statement from "the biological children of David Allan Coe" posted on a Facebook page for the country singer calls "all musicians, venues and business associates" who are owed money to file claims on his estate.
"Priority court judgments for long-overdue, unpaid family and child support have already been officially filed by us against our father’s estate. While some people have attacked us for holding him accountable to the family obligations he walked away from during his life, our priority is transparency and family honor.
"We want to ensure that everyone he owed money to has the exact same opportunity to be made whole," the statement continued.
The post also divulged that the final date to file a complaint before the estate is settled is Oct. 29, 2026.
"Thank you for helping us stand for what is right and ensuring people get what is legally due to them," the statement concluded.
How many children does David Allan Coe have?
According to Tanya Montana Coe, a Nashville musician and Coe's fifth child, he had eight children with four women.
Coe was married a total of six times.
"Dad wanted a lot of children and there are a lot of us! Probably more we don't even know about yet," wrote Tanya Montana Coe in a Facebook post on July 13.
Here are Coe's eight children according to the post.
- Debra Ann (An adopted daughter of Coe's)
- Carla Coe (From first marriage)
- Shelli Coe (From second marriage)
- Tyler Coe (From fourth marriage)
- Tanya Montana Coe (From fourth marriage)
- Josh Pruitt (A later confirmed offspring of Coe's)
- Shyanne Coe (From fourth marriage)
- Carson Coe (From fourth marriage)
David Allan Coe's children speak out after exclusion from father's will
Tanya Montana Coe told The Tennessean she had little contact with her father during his later years, despite her efforts to maintain a relationship.
Following the 2013 crash and Coe's 2021 COVID diagnosis, she says she consistently tried to reach out to her father directly, as well as through Kimberly Hastings Coe and other members of his inner circle. However, her "communication attempts were met with silence."
“Dad, I love you and I am here for you. Please call me if you want. Feel better soon,” was a note she left a nurse to give to her father while he was in the hospital with COVID.
"Until the day he died, I continued reaching out to people in my dad’s circle but was not successful in making direct contact with him," Tanya Montana Coe told The Tennessean.
When Coe died in April 2026, Tanya Montana Coe says she was not alerted by Kimberly Hastings and resorted to Facebook to figure out where the funeral would be held.
"I was never able to get through to my dad before he died. My stepmom did not call me when he was in the ICU, she did not call me when he passed, and she did not call about any funeral arrangements which is why I resorted to posting on Facebook begging to get information about his funeral," she said.
When asked whether she believed the will reflected her father's wishes, she replied, "I am not at liberty to share all of my beliefs right now but I don’t believe this was my father’s wishes."
Set to receive nothing from his will, Tanya Montana Coe "would have appreciated being given a few of his personal belongings for sentimental reasons."
"Before I lost contact with my dad, he always mentioned a drawer full of letters and drawings from me that he treasured and held onto, I would like to have those back," she added.
Additionally, Tanya Montana Coe would have "liked the opportunity to help protect [her] father’s legacy with the rights and usage of his name, songs, etc."
"Those are things that I feel should stay in the family," she continued.
Josh Pruitt confirmed that he was Coe's son through his mother and grandmother as well as an Ancestry.com test when he was in his 30s. Pruitt, who was also originally listed among the singer's surviving next of kin in court records filed in Ohio, says that he "never did have a conversation with [Coe] as a father."
He was also not contacted after his father died.
"We all believe that he did love us. We all believe that everything that's happening legally is not of his true desires and how he wanted this to all play out," he added.
Pruitt was subsequently removed from a list of Coe's surviving next of kin because the only evidence of his relationship came through Ancestry.com, making him and his family ineligible to file claims against the estate. Furthermore, Pruitt says neither he nor his family has ever been after money and never pursued child support from Coe.
"I just took the oath to step up and support them and help be a voice to get this heard," Pruitt said regarding his role in his siblings' protest against the will.
What does David Allan Coe's last will and testament say?
One thing Coe's will and testament makes clear right from the start is that he omitted his children and their heirs from the will and testament. The estimated value of the estate is listed as unknown, according to a Hamilton County Probate Court filing
Kimberly Hastings Coe, the executor, was left with the following:
- Household furnishings
- Artwork
- Jewelry
- Mementos
- Automobiles
- Other personal tangible effects and belongings owned by the country singer at the time of his death.
As executor, Kimberly Hastings Coe is also responsible for administering the estate, including paying debts and expenses, managing estate assets and transferring the remainder of the estate to the David Allan Coe Living Trust. According to Tanya Montana Coe, the rights to Coe's music and likeness are now also under the control of Kimberly Hastings Coe.
The beneficiaries and successor trustee of the trust are not identified in the will. However, according to Pruitt, the trust will benefit Hastings, her son and grandson.
Since becoming the executor of the will in late June, Kimberly Hastings Coe has rejected two claims filed by Jody Lynn Coe, Coe's fourth wife and the mother of Tyler, Carson, Shyanne and Tanya Montana. Jody Lynn Coe was seeking $194,882 in unpaid spousal support and $540,820 in unpaid child support dating back to 1997.
Both claims were denied on Aug. 13, a month after Jody Lynn Coe filed them on July 14.
Tanya Montana Coe is not aware of her father owing child support or alimony to the other families. However, she says her mother "has every right to continue to pursue the back child support and alimony as it is all provable by the State of Tennessee's records" and she supports her efforts to do so.
The Tennessean's efforts to reach Kimberly Hastings Coe and Paul J. Kellogg, the attorney representing her in the case, went unanswered.
Peter Burditt covers trending news and service journalism for The Tennessean. Contact him at PBurditt@nashvill.gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: David Allan Coe omitted his 8 children from his will. Now they are speaking out | Exclusive
