https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2017/11/30/jim-nabors-dead-star-best-known-as-gomer-pyle-was-87.html

Yes. He led a very full life.

One of my favorite actors. I'll miss him but his work will live on.

The cast is down to 3 now? Ron Howard, Betty Lynn & Elinor Donahue?

The cast is down to 3 now? Ron Howard, Betty Lynn & Elinor Donahue?


I think you're right.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053479/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast

Everyone of the 23 episodes he appeared in tags was a classic.

Link (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/jim-nabors-dead-gomer-pyle-andy-griffith-show-star-was-87-1008103)

Jim Nabors, who starred as Gomer Pyle on The Andy Griffith Show and on his own sitcom before retiring the wide-eyed, countrified character at the height of his popularity, has died. He was 87.

Nabors died early Thursday morning, Hawaii News Now reports. A native of Alabama, Nabors also recorded more than two dozen albums with a rich, operatic baritone voice that surprised those who were used to hearing Nabors exclaim "Gawwwleee!" with a Southern twang on television.

For many years, Nabors sang "Back Home Again in Indiana" during the opening ceremonies for the Indianapolis 500.

In the early 1960s, Nabors was a regular performer at The Horn, a cabaret theater on Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica that showcased new talent, when he was spotted by Andy Griffith, who thought Nabors would be perfect to play a new character on his CBS sitcom. That would be Gomer, a dimwitted, affable mechanic at Wally's Filling Station in Mayberry and a cousin of Goober (George Lindsey).

Nabors was signed for just one episode, which aired midway through The Andy Griffith Show's third season in December 1962, but Gomer proved popular, and Nabors went on to appear on 23 installments of the series. One of his signature phrases sprang from a discussion in which Gomer extolled the sophistication of Don Knotts' Barney Fife: "Gawwwleee! He's even been out with some nurses."

Nabors' run on The Andy Griffith Show culminated with the fourth-season finale, in which Gomer joins the U.S. Marines (the episode also served as the pilot for the spinoff sitcom).

With Pvt. Pyle being hounded by tough but caring drill sergeant Vince Carter (Frank Sutton), Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. aired for five years (1964-69) on CBS and was a great success in the ratings — always in the top 10 and No. 2 in its final season — before the actor decided to pursue other activities, which included hosting his own variety show.

"It got down to what you think you want to be, an actor or an entertainer. I want to entertain," Nabors said in 1969, when he decided to hang up Pyle's fatigues. "I don't think I'm much of an actor. The only part I ever played was Gomer. I'm the most surprised person around that I'm successful anyway."

He then showcased his singing and comedic talents on The Jim Nabors Hour, which lasted two seasons and featured some of his Gomer Pyle co-stars.

The big-hearted Nabors never ventured far into movies, though he did perform opposite his pal Burt Reynolds in such fare as The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982), Stroker Ace (1983) and, as "Pvt. Homer Lyle," Cannonball Run II (1984).

James Thurston Nabors was born June 12, 1930, in Sylacauga, Ala., the son of a policeman. He sang in high school and acted in fraternity productions at the University of Alabama. After graduating with a degree in business administration, he moved to New York and worked as a typist and answered phones at the United Nations.

"With my thick accent, people would try out different languages on me, never suspecting I was speaking English," he joked.

Nabors returned to the South and worked as a film cutter for a TV station in Chattanooga, Tenn., then moved to Los Angeles — the climate was better suited for his asthma — and landed a similar job a NBC. At nights, he sang and spun tales as a Gomer-like character at The Horn.

Comedian Bill Dana saw him perform, and that led to Nabors becoming a regular on ABC's The New Steve Allen Show. All the while, he kept performing in Santa Monica.

Nabors also showed up as a beatnik in Take Her, She's Mine (1963), starring James Stewart and Sandra Dee; his voice was dubbed in the film.

In the 1970s, Nabors starred with Ruth Buzzi as time-traveling androids on the ABC series The Lost Saucer, produced by Sid and Marty Krofft, and hosted his own syndicated talk show.

He returned as Gomer in the 1986 NBC reunion movie Return to Mayberry.

Nabors admitted that he had trouble watching Pyle's opening credits when the series was playing in syndication because many of the Marines with whom he marched were killed in Vietnam. (The Pollyanna sitcom never addressed the war.)

He first demonstrated his singing ability to TV viewers in 1964 on CBS' The Danny Kaye Show, and on a Gomer Pyle episode that aired in November 1967, he sang "The Impossible Dream" from Man of la Mancha, which would become a concert staple for him. His 1980 album, The Heart-Touching Magic of Jim Nabors, went Platinum.

Nabors sang "Back Home in Indiana" at the Indy 500 for the last time in 2014.

"I'll be honest with you, I didn't want to stay too long at the fair," he said. "Everyone has been so incredible to me so many years. The first time I was here was 1972, so I guess most people have grown up with me."

Nabors, who underwent a liver transplant in 1994, starred regularly at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Dome in The Jim Nabors Polynesian Extravaganza, which in the 1980s was one of the state's top showbiz attractions. He lived in Hawaii for more than 30 years and had homes in Honolulu and Maui, where he had a macadamia nut farm.

In January 2013, Nabors exchanged wedding vows with Stan Cadwallader, his partner of almost four decades, before a judge in a Seattle hotel room. Nabors met Cadwallader, a former firefighter in Honolulu, in 1975.

Asked in a 2000 interview with the Los Angeles Times about why The Andy Griffith Show and Gomer Pyle continued to be so popular, Nabors said, "Television has become very cynical, even the comedy shows, and the cynicism from the young people just boggles my mind.

"In Mayberry, there was no illness. There was no war. There was no violence. There was no graffiti. We all had a good time, and we laughed a lot."

I just noticed that he was gay and had a husband. Did not know that until now.

May he rest in peace.

A wonderful life.

Not to sound mean but I thought he had already died. Maybe I'm thinking of the guy who played Goober.

Very sad to hear this. :( There's only a few cast members still alive.

RIP

A truly great comedy actor and a reputation as a very nice person. It's amazing that with little or no acting experience he was great from his first episode as Gomer. Even Andy and Don were stunned by Jim's natural comedy ability. The first time Andy saw Jim's act in a club, he said "I don't know what you do, but it's magic, whatever it is."

I just think that Jim was a great comedy actor. And even though it seems like everyone knew his name, he was probably underpraised as a comedy actor. His ability to play that character and his comedy timing was amazing on two great shows. We were lucky to see him. Jim gave us a lot of entertainment. R.I.P.

Absolutely ! RIP Mr Nabors. You seemed like a good person. I will pop in my Gomer Pyle USMC DVD's tonight.

A great comedic actor, accomplished and beautiful singer, and from what I can tell, a true gentleman and decent person.

RIP "Gomer"

:rip:

The only negative thing I can say is I didn't like his "Return To Mayberry" appearance. The character of Gomer was dimwitted when he was on TAGS, but his five years in the Marines made him grow. In "Return" , he was just as dimwitted as when he left TAGS.

:rip:

He was a great entertainer and an even greater person. May he R.I.P

RIP to him, and don't mean to change the subject, but this is crazy b/c I, and MANY other ppl remember him dying 2 times already!! What is going on here?! Ppl prolly know I'm all into the Mandela Effect b/c it is really resonating with me! I looked up Jim Nabors just 2 weeks ago on IMDB and it listed him as already dead. I'm trying to be respectful about his passing but this is just freaking me out! Anyone else remember him having already passed away?

Not to sound mean but I thought he had already died. Maybe I'm thinking of the guy who played Goober.


You and me BOTH! And no I looked both of them up and both were listed as dead just 2 weeks ago. It's the Mandela Effect.

I just noticed that he was gay and had a husband. Did not know that until now.
yea, he "came out of the closet" years ago.

http://rare.us/rare-people/ron-howard-breaks-his-silence-on-losing-another-familiar-face-from-the-andy-griffith-show/

Ron Howard breaks his silence on losing another familiar face from the “Andy Griffith Show”

Carlin Becker, December 1, 2017 11:39 am

Following the passing of “Andy Griffith Show” star Jim Nabors, who famously played the beloved character, Gomer Pyle, his former co-star Ron Howard publicly mourned the loss of his friend in a statement.

“RIP #JimNabors. Talented, intelligent and so fun-loving & gracious,” he tweeted. “I loved acting with him on the #TheAndyGriffithShow His public persona belied his worldliness gained through travel & curiosity. A fascinating good-hearted guy. This is a rough week.”
The pair starred alongside each other during the iconic show, with Howard portraying Opie Taylor, until Nabors’s exit after the end of the fourth season when Pyle joins the Marine Corps. During Nabors’s last Indy 500 appearance in 2014, he revealed that he and Howard had continued to keep in touch over the years after the “Andy Griffith Show” went off the air in 1968.

“I got a letter from him the other day, and it was the sweetest note,” he said at the time. “A very personal thing and I was dumbfounded to get it. He was talking about how he just turned 60. See, I’ve known Ron since he was 6 years old. He wrote this letter, and he said that he was going to have a party for his 60th birthday. But it coincided with the Academy Awards, and too many of his friends wouldn’t be able to come. He said if he ever did decide to have the party, I would certainly be on the top of the list.”

http://www.wxii12.com/article/mayberry-mourns-jim-nabors/13991148

Mayberry mourns Jim Nabors


MOUNT AIRY, N.C. —

People in Mount Airy are devastated to hear of Jim Nabors’ passing. Folks at the Andy Griffith Museum said they’re working on plans to remember Nabors.

Abigail Linville, Director of Collections and Exhibitions at the museum, thinks it was Nabors’ unique character on the Andy Griffith Show, Gomer Pyle, that sticks with everyone. He portrayed a person of genuine kindness and quirkiness.
Advertisement

According to his co-star, Betty Lynn, who played Thelma Lou, Nabors was just as kind and genuine in person.

Betty Lynn said she had just recently spoken with Nabors.

“He sounded pretty good on the phone, I thought. He told me he loved Hawaii and he lived on top of Diamond Head and he had a great view. He said he wasn’t able to travel any more. His legs had given out, but his voice was still good,” Betty Lynn said. “So he could still sing and everything. He did have a beautiful voice. I really loved Jim. He was a sweet good person.”

Out-of-towners visiting the Andy Griffith Museum stopped to remember Nabors.

Hugh Phillips, from Cleveland, said he was shocked to hear of his passing and said he loves that he can watch the Andy Griffith Show with his children.

“It’s simple, a simple life,” Phillips said. “It’s a time capsule. It’s ageless. My kids watch it and we sit and laugh at it.”

Don Marsh, a store manager in downtown Mount Airy, said he loved Gomer Pyle on the show and always loved that he brought a lot of laughs.

“I just liked the plain old honesty of him. He just was what he was,” Marsh said. “He’d make you laugh about him and Barney getting into it. He was just fun, running out hollering ‘Citizen’s Arrest, Citizen’s Arrest.’ It would crack you up. He was just a fun guy.”

RIP to him, and don't mean to change the subject, but this is crazy b/c I, and MANY other ppl remember him dying 2 times already!! What is going on here?! Ppl prolly know I'm all into the Mandela Effect b/c it is really resonating with me! I looked up Jim Nabors just 2 weeks ago on IMDB and it listed him as already dead. I'm trying to be respectful about his passing but this is just freaking me out! Anyone else remember him having already passed away?

I think there are 2 possibilities. 1. they think of Goober and not Gomer. 2. Jim was deathly ill years ago needing a liver transplant, many magazine covers had him on his "deathbed" but he got the liver and recovered. The recovery got almost no coverage compared to the illness and he did not make many TV or film appearances later in life.

He was a great actor and maybe even a better singer. I never heard of anyone having a bad word to say about him. Seems like he was as nice as he played on TV.

A truly great comedy actor and a reputation as a very nice person. It's amazing that with little or no acting experience he was great from his first episode as Gomer. Even Andy and Don were stunned by Jim's natural comedy ability. The first time Andy saw Jim's act in a club, he said "I don't know what you do, but it's magic, whatever it is."

I just think that Jim was a great comedy actor. And even though it seems like everyone knew his name, he was probably underpraised as a comedy actor. His ability to play that character and his comedy timing was amazing on two great shows. We were lucky to see him. Jim gave us a lot of entertainment. R.I.P.

Jim Nabors didn't mind being thought of as Gomer Pyle (https://www.metv.com/stories/jim-nabors-didnt-mind-being-thought-of-as-gomer-pyle)

Nabors loved his Andy Griffith character.

Carol Burnett sent Jim Nabors a fan letter and he didn't believe it was real (https://www.metv.com/stories/carol-burnett-sent-jim-nabors-a-fan-letter-and-he-didnt-believe-it-was-real)

Nabors assumed someone was playing a prank on him when he received a letter addressed to him from Carol Burnett.