Goober is officially gone. George Lindsey, who played Goober Pyle on The Andy Griffith Show, has died at the age of 83.
The actor passed away Sunday in Nashville after a brief illness, says a statement from the Marshall Donnelly Combs Funeral Home. He had been hospitalized for a lengthy stay leading up to his death, says The Tennessean.
Lindsey was born in Alabama and studied to be a teacher, however he joined the United States Air Force in the 1950s. He travelled to New York to take up acting and got his break when he joined The Andy Griffith Show in 1964.
Lindsey was initially asked to audition for the role of a gas station attendant Gomer Pyle, but lost the part to Jim Nabors. When Gomer Pyle proved a popular character, inspiring a eponymous spinoff series, Lindsey was cast as Gomer’s cousin Goober.
His role as Goober endeared him to audiences, who were taken with the character’s goofy, slow-witted yet kind-hearted nature – not to mention his Goober dance and way-off Cary Grant impression.
Lindsey stayed with the series when Andy Griffith left and it took on the moniker Mayberry R.F.D. He remained a cast member until its cancellation in 1971.
“George Lindsey was my friend. I had great respect for his talent and his human spirit,” Griffith said in a statement obtained by The Tennessean.
“In recent years, we spoke often by telephone. Our last conversation was a few days ago. We would talk about our health, how much we missed our friends who passed before us and usually about something funny. I am happy to say that as we found ourselves in our eighties, we were not afraid to say, 'I love you.' That was the last thing George and I had to say to each other. ‘I love you.’”
Ron Howard, who played Opie on the show, sent out a tweet Sunday about Lindsey’s passing: “He generated lots of laughs & raised a lot of money for Special Olympics. RIP George.”
Other than The Andy Griffith Show, Lindsey is known for being part of Hee Haw from 1971 to 1992. His other TV credits include spots on M*A*S*H, Gunsmoke, Herbie, the Love Bug and CHiPs.
He released the 1971 comedy album Goober Sings!, as well as the 1995 autobiography Goober in a Nutshell.
Lindsey is survived by his son George Lindsey, Jr., daughter Camden Jo Lindsey Gardner, two grandsons and his longtime companion, Anne Wilson.
http://tvguide.ca/TVNews/Articles/120507_george_lindsey_dies_MH
The actor passed away Sunday in Nashville after a brief illness, says a statement from the Marshall Donnelly Combs Funeral Home. He had been hospitalized for a lengthy stay leading up to his death, says The Tennessean.
Lindsey was born in Alabama and studied to be a teacher, however he joined the United States Air Force in the 1950s. He travelled to New York to take up acting and got his break when he joined The Andy Griffith Show in 1964.
Lindsey was initially asked to audition for the role of a gas station attendant Gomer Pyle, but lost the part to Jim Nabors. When Gomer Pyle proved a popular character, inspiring a eponymous spinoff series, Lindsey was cast as Gomer’s cousin Goober.
His role as Goober endeared him to audiences, who were taken with the character’s goofy, slow-witted yet kind-hearted nature – not to mention his Goober dance and way-off Cary Grant impression.
Lindsey stayed with the series when Andy Griffith left and it took on the moniker Mayberry R.F.D. He remained a cast member until its cancellation in 1971.
“George Lindsey was my friend. I had great respect for his talent and his human spirit,” Griffith said in a statement obtained by The Tennessean.
“In recent years, we spoke often by telephone. Our last conversation was a few days ago. We would talk about our health, how much we missed our friends who passed before us and usually about something funny. I am happy to say that as we found ourselves in our eighties, we were not afraid to say, 'I love you.' That was the last thing George and I had to say to each other. ‘I love you.’”
Ron Howard, who played Opie on the show, sent out a tweet Sunday about Lindsey’s passing: “He generated lots of laughs & raised a lot of money for Special Olympics. RIP George.”
Other than The Andy Griffith Show, Lindsey is known for being part of Hee Haw from 1971 to 1992. His other TV credits include spots on M*A*S*H, Gunsmoke, Herbie, the Love Bug and CHiPs.
He released the 1971 comedy album Goober Sings!, as well as the 1995 autobiography Goober in a Nutshell.
Lindsey is survived by his son George Lindsey, Jr., daughter Camden Jo Lindsey Gardner, two grandsons and his longtime companion, Anne Wilson.
http://tvguide.ca/TVNews/Articles/120507_george_lindsey_dies_MH
