Huffington Post reports that George Lindsey, the interpreter of the “Goober” character on “The Andy Griffith Show” died at 83 years old. He was in his home at Nashville when he was declared dead on Sunday morning after a brief illness.

Generations of American viewers were entertained by George Lindsey’s comic characters. That is why they were all saddened to hear that the interpreter of Goober Pyle in “The Andy Griffith Show” passed away this weekend. Equally devastated was Griffith because Lindsey was one of his best friends, not just his colleague.

Andy Griffith was among the first people to announce George Lindsey’s demise and to pay tribute to the late star through an official statement. He stated that they had been very close friends ever since they first worked together. Despite this, the respect and admiration that the American TV show host had for the comedian were entirely due to his boundless talent.

Griffith further stated that he continued to talk with Lindsey on the phone even after they stopped working together. As a matter of fact, their last conversation was a few days before the comedian’s death. Although they were in their eighties, the two friends would always tell each other that they love one another. Andy was actually pleased that his final words to Lindsey were ‘I love you’.

George Lindsey was best known for his character Goober Pyle. He started playing this part for Andy Griffith, but was later on, co-opted in two other shows, that is, “Mayberry RFD” from 1968 to 1971 and “Hee Haw” between 1971 and 1993. Lindsey declared in a previous interview that “The Andy Griffith Show” was the best broadcast when they started filming back in 1964. The success of the series was due, in Lindsey’s opinion to Andy’s ability to write appealing scripts.

The late comedian received credits throughout his career for the parts that he played in various sitcoms. He was appreciated for his appearances on “MASH,” ‘‘The Wonderful World of Disney,” ‘‘CHIPs,” ‘‘The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour,” ‘‘The Real McCoys,” ‘‘Rifleman,” ‘‘The Alfred Hitchcock Hour,” ‘‘Twilight Zone” and “Love American Style.”

The family arranged for George Lindsey to receive burial services from the Marshall-Donnelly-Combs Funeral Home in Nashville. The actor is survived by two children and two grandchildren.