Actor, Indianapolis 500 Legend Jim Nabors Dead At Age 87

Actor and Indianapolis 500 singing legend Jim Nabors has passed away at age 87, The Associated Press reports. Nabors died peacefully at his home in Hawaii on Thursday with his husband, Stan Cadwallader, at his side, according to AP. Nabors is known to many Hoosiers as the voice behind "Back Home Again in Indiana" which he sang before the start of the Indianapolis 500 for decades. He's also remembered for several acting roles including on "The Andy Griffin Show" in the early 1960's.

AP recalls Nabor's character of Gomer Pyle, a lovable gas pumper who would exclaim “Gollllll-ly!” which became so popular that in 1964 CBS starred him in “Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.

Cadwallader says Nabors’ health had been decliningfor the past year, and his immune system has been suppressed ever since he underwent a liver transplant about 20 years ago.

READ: Jim Nabors, Who Played Gomer Pyle On The Andy Griffith Show, Dies

Photo credit: Michael Conroy/Associated Press