George Lindsey Dies at 83: Do You Still Watch 'The Andy Griffith Show'?

Young people might not be as familiar with George Lindsey's work, but thanks to retro channels like TV Land and, of course, the Internet, it's easily accessible. Lindsey is best known for playing the lovable, dimwitted auto mechanic Goober Pyle from "The Andy Griffith Show" (not to be confused with the better-known Gomer Pyle, played by Jim Nabors). Though not technically a main character on the show, Lindsey appeared on 86 of its 249 episodes, or roughly a third. He was also on the cast of "Hee Haw" for 20 years and appeared in a number of shows including "Gunsmoke," "C.H.I.P.S.," and "M*A*S*H."

According to The Tennessean, Lindsey passed away at 12:05 Sunday morning in Nashville after "an extended hospitalization." He was 83. Andy Griffith said in a statement, "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.'"