George Lindsey, Actor Best Known as Goober on ‘The Andy Griffith Show,’ dies in Tennessee at Age 83

George Lindsey, best known for playing “Goober Pyle” on ‘The Andy Griffith Show’ and ‘Hee-Haw’ has died in Tennessee at the age of 83. Lindsey died in Nashhville, TN at 12:05 a.m. Sunday after an extended hospitalization. Lindsey was born in Fairfield, AL, Dec. 17, 1928, to parents George Ross Lindsey and Alice Smith Lindsey, and grew up in Jasper, AL. He received a bachelor of science degree from Florence State Teachers College (now the University of North Alabama) in 1952 after majoring in physical education and biology and playing quarterback on the football team. Goober moved to Hollywood in the early 1960s and then to Nashville, Tennessee in the early 1990s.

Rest in Peace: George Lindsey (December 17, 1928 – May 6, 2012)

A press release from Marshall-Donnelly-Combs Funeral Home in Nashville said Lindsay died early Sunday morning after a brief illness. Funeral arrangements were still being made.

Lindsey was the beanie-wearing Goober on “The Andy Griffith Show” from 1964 to 1968 and its successor, “Mayberry RFD,” from 1968 to 1971. He played the same jovial character — a service station attendant — on “Hee Haw” from 1971 until it went out of production in 1993.

Acting career of George Lindsey. He had roles in other shows other than The Andy Griffith Show’, like ‘Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.’, ‘Daniel Boone’, ‘The Rifleman’, ‘Mayberry R.F.D.’, ‘Gunsmoke’, ‘Love, American Style’, ‘Fantasy Island’, ‘M*A*S*H’ and my personal cult TV classic show ‘Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea’.

Goober does his imitation of Cary Grant on ‘The Andy Griffith Show’

From The Tennessean, Actor Andy Griffith said in a statement that accompanied the family’s Sunday-morning announcement of Mr. Lindsey’s death:

“George Lindsey was my friend. I had great respect for his talent and his human spirit. 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.’”

From USA Today:

Lindsey told The Associated Press in 1985 that “America has grown up with me. Goober is every man; everyone finds something to like about ol’ Goober.”