David Allan Coe’s Guitarist Says the Singer ‘Did Not Have a Stroke,’ Will Be Back on the Road Soon
After news surfaced that David Allan Coe had been hospitalized on Feb. 22 and canceled a Flint, Mich., show slotted for Feb. 24, a Facebook page operating under Coe's name posted that the singer was suffering from "stroke-like symptoms," and fans became concerned. However, members of the country legend's band now state that those reports are untrue.
"This goes out to whomever posted on the Machine Shops ad for the DAVID ALLAN COE show," Coe's guitarist Beebe Lee posted to Facebook on Friday (Feb. 23). "DAC did not have a stroke, much less 2 strokes. So DAC will be out of the hospital and we will be back on the road tomorrow, so people please stop posting false information PLEASE."
The same day, Saving Country Music reported that, while Coe had indeed been hospitalized with complaints consistent with a person suffering from a stroke or multiple strokes -- vertigo and "other stroke-like symptoms" -- doctors ultimately concluded that those were side effects from an ongoing inner ear infection.
Lee provided an update on Saturday (Feb. 24), posting on Facebook that the website that had initially reported the news that Coe had had a stroke was "a bogus website, not official." He further implored fans not to pay attention to anything that source had to say about the country star. "Please DON'T listen to any information from DavidAllanCoe.com," Lee said, adding that the Coe's son had made the initial -- and erroneous -- statement.
The David Allan Coe Army came out in droves in the comments section of that post's thread to support the singer against false claims made about his health. "Everyone report [the website] as fake news," one fan opined. "Who runs that site? It does more harm than good," posted another.
While the question of who, specifically, runs the website that published the original story remains unclear, fans engaged in debate in a Facebook comments thread, Taste of Country reports. Some believed a bootlegger, looking to capitalize on Coe's fame, owns both DavidAllanCoe.com and the David Allan Coe Facebook page.
According to his statement, Lee appears to believe that Coe's estranged son, Tyler Mahan Coe, is behind the report. While the younger Coe previously played in his father's band, the two have been estranged for years following a car accident and subsequent rift between father and son back in 2013.
Most importantly, the country legend is apparently on the mend, according to an update from Lee via Facebook on Saturday, which announced that the 78-year-old had been checked out of the hospital. "He has a cholesterol problem and will get physical therapy on his knee. No strokes no strokes no strokes," Lee posted. "DAC & his Immortals Ride Again ... Cya in Daytona."
Coe plans to perform an 8-day stint at the Iron Horse Saloon in Daytona, Fla. in March, according to the venue's website. The canceled Feb. 24 show has also been rescheduled for April 20, and according to the venue's Facebook page, all tickets bought for the February show will be honored.
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