At 82, David Allan Coe Defeats COVID-19, Released From Hospital

A serious tussle with COVID-19, and even a host of pre-existing conditions was no death sentence for country legend David Allan Coe. And now with a long list of accolades and nicknames he already enjoys, perhaps we can now call him the Rolling Stone of Country since just like Mick and Keith, he might outlive us all.

David Allan Coe celebrated his 82nd birthday on September 6th in the hospital after being admitted in August after testing positive for COVID-19, and registering low oxygen levels. He never had to be intubated, and instead was treated with supplemental oxygen and high doses of vitamins. He also had to be fed intravenously.

But Saving Country Music can report that David Allan Coe has finally been discharged from the hospital, and is continuing to recover and increase his strength at home. He remains on supplemental oxygen, but is said to be working on getting back out to play shows soon.

It was first announced on August 16th that live appearances by David Allan Coe scheduled for August 20th and 21st would be postponed due to concerns over rising COVID-19 cases. Then it was announced on August 20th that all remaining shows in August and September had been postponed after Coe, his wife Kimberly, and both Kimberly’s son and grandson had also tested positive. David Allan Coe was hospitalized in Ormond Beach, Florida.

“We would all like to thank the doctors, nurses, and specialists who are working with David and all COVID patients around the country, and a special thank you to the Ormond Beach Fire Department and EMTs,” wife Kimberly said on September 1st.

Born in Akron, Ohio, David Allan Coe spent much of his youth and young adult life in and out of reform schools before getting out of prison for good in 1967, and moving to Nashville to pursue a country music career. Writing Tanya Tucker’s #1 hit “Would You Lay With Me (In a Field of Stone)” in 1973 put Coe on the radar of Music Row, and by the next year he was signed with Columbia Records, and became part of country music’s “Outlaw” movement, releasing his signature song “You Never Even Called Me By My Name” in 1975 co-written by Steve Goodman and John Prine.

Coe has experienced numerous ailments over the years, including needing knee replacement surgery in April 2019. He was also diagnosed with an inner ear infection in February of 2018 that was first falsely reported as a stroke. Up to his recent hospitalization, Coe continued to tour and perform regularly.

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