HONOLULU — Jim Nabors, whose rendition of "Back Home Again in Indiana" became an Indianapolis 500 fixture for more than four decades, has died at 87.

Husband Stan Cadwallader said the actor best known as the television star Gomer Pyle died Thursday at home in Hawaii after his health had declined for the past year.

"Back Home Again in Indiana" is a centerpiece of the pageantry leading to the race, and Nabors sang it 36 times between 1972 and 2014. In his first rendition, he knew the tune but had to scribble the lyrics on his hand.

Nabors was born in Alabama but has said Indiana in many ways is a deep part of him.

The owners of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway said Nabors became a "Hoosier to all of us almost immediately after he began his superb performances." The Hulman-George family said in a statement it will "never forget his genuine kindness, sincerity and loyalty."

Nabors used to recall how some of his musician friends would brag at the number of fans at their concerts. As for himself, Nabors would say, "Oh, I had about 300,000."