(BROOKE)
A VOICE THAT HOOSIERS KNOW AND
LOVE IS SILENT TONIGHT.
KNOWN FOR SINGING BACK HOME
AGAIN IN INDIANA AT THE
INDY 500 FOR SEVERAL DECADES,
JIM NABORS IS DEAD TONIGHT.
(BROOKE)
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORTS HE
DIED PEACEFULLY AT HIS
HOME IN HAWAII WITH HIS HUSBAND
STAN CADWALLADER AT
HIS SIDE.
(PHIL)
NABORS WAS 87 YEARS OLD.
FOR MORE THAN 35 YEARS HIS VOICE
WAS SYNONYMOUS WITH THE
INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY.
THE FIRST TIME NABORS SANG "BACK
HOME AGAIN IN INDIANA" WAS IN
1972.
HE THOUGHT HE WOULD BE SINING
THE NATIONAL ANTHEM, BUT WAS
SURPRISED JUST MINUTES BEFORE
THE START OF THE RACE.
NABORS WOULD WRITE THE LYRICS ON
HIS HAND. AND THE REST AS THEY
SAY IS HISTORY.
WISHTV RACING ANALYST DEREK DALY
SAYS THAT HE HEARD ABOUT THE
NEWS OF NABORS' DEATH THIS
MORNING.
((14:43:38 DEREK DALY: "I WAS
SAD BECAUSE THE DAY COMES
FOR EVERYBODY, BUT YOU JUST
DON'T EXPECT IT BECAUSE HE WAS
LARGER THAN LIFE WHEN YOU MEET
HIM,
YOU JUST DON'T EXPECT THAT HIS
DAYS ARE NUMBERED AT THAT TIME,
THERE'S ALWAYS A SADNESS AND
THEN THERE'S
ALSO A JOY THAT HE GOT TO LIVE
AND DO WHAT HE WANTED AND WE GOT
TO ENJOY WHAT HE WAS ABLE TO DO
FOR SO
MANY PEOPLE ALL THESE YEARS."))
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORTS
THAT HIS HEALTH HAD BEEN
DECLINING FOR SEVERAL YEARS.
BEFORE BECOMING A STAPLE AT THE
INDY 500... NABORS WAS WELL
DECLINING FOR SEVERAL YEARS.
BEFORE BECOMING A STAPLE AT THE
INDY 500... NABORS WAS WELL
KNOWN
FOR PORTRAYING THE ROLE OF GOMER
PYLE ON THE ANDY GRIFFITH
SHOW IN THE 1960'S.
(PHIL)
ALSO TONIGHT, REACTION ACROSS
THE INDYCAR CIRCUIT ON
NABORS' PASSING.
(BROOKE)
DRIVERS FROM THE PAST AND
PRESENT TOOK TO SOCIAL MEDIA,
REMEMBERING THE LATE INDY 500
ICON.
OUR CHARLIE CLIFFORD JOINS US
NOW WITH MORE. CHARLIE?!
(CHARLIE)
HONORING A LEGEND.
A TOUGH TASK TODAY FOR THE
INDYCAR WORLD.
32-TIME RACE WINNER WILL POWER
SUMMED IT UP WELL,
TWEETING QUOTE...
"JIM NABORS WILL ALWAYS BE ONE
OF THE GREATEST AMBASSADORS TO
THE GREATEST SPECTACLE IN
RACING."
AND THE SENTIMENT CONTINUES TO
ECHO ACROSS THE
SERIES.
ED CARPENTER, TOLD WISH-TV THIS
AFTERNOON, NABORS AND BACK
HOME AGAIN IN INDIANA, WAS
SIMPLY MAGIC AND THE TUNE AT THE
500 WILL ALWAYS BE CONNECTED TO
THE ALABAMA NATIVE WHO
FOUND A NEW HOME IN HOOSIER
COUNTRY. HERE ARE CARPENTER
AND 20-16 INDY 500 CHAMP
ALEXANDER ROSSI ON TODAY'S NEWS.
((ED: HAVING GROWN UP AROND THE
TRACK AND THE
PRIVILEGED OF BEING AROUND
JIM... SUCH A GREAT GUY, HE
MEANT SO MUCH TO THIS CITY AND
EVERYONE WHO HAS A
PIECE OF 500. ALL OF THE FAMILY
TRADITIONS AND MEMORIES, HE IS
CONNECTED TO ALL OF THAT. HE IS
GOING TO BE DEARLY MISSED.
ALEXANDER: AFTER WINNING, I
TALKED ABOUT THE EDUCATION
AND APPRECIATION I GAINED AND HE
WAS A PART OF THE THAT. HIM
BEING A STAPLE IN THE RACE, JUST
AS MUCH AS
FLORENCE HENDERSON WAS, HIS
LEGACY WILL CONTINUE ON FOREVER
AND HE WILL DEFINITELY HAVE A
PLACE IN
EVERYONE'S HEART WHO HAS RACED
IN THE 500.))
(( ))
(BROOKE
AND REACTION ABOUT NABORS'
PASSING IS POURING IN FROM
FANS.
(PHIL)
OUR TEAM COVERAGE CONTINUES WITH
24 HOUR NEWS 8'S ERIC FELDMAN --
WHO IS LIVE AT IMS.
(ERIC)
A TOUGH DAY --
PLENTY OF REACTION ONLINE ON
TWITTER -- BUT ALSO HERE IN THE
HOOSIER STATE --
WE ALSO CAUGHT UP WITH LAURA
STEELE -- A WISH TV CONTRIBUTOR
WHO WAS ON THE I-M-S PUBLIC
ADDRESS
TEAM.
SHE INTERVIEWED JIM NABORS MANY
TIMES -- AND SAYS EVEN THOUGH
NABORS WAS NOT WELL --
IT'S STILL A TOUGH DAY WITH THE
PASSING OF THE ALABAMA NATIVE --
BELOVED HERE LIKE A HOOSIER.
((HE ALWAYS HAD A HUG. SO IN
FACT HIS HUGS HE EMBRACED
YOU LIKE HE MEANT IT. HE WAS SO
INCREDIBLY KIND. THE HUGS WERE
GENUINE. HE LOVED BEING AT THE
INDIANAPOLIS
MOTOR SPEEDWAY AND YOU COULD
TELL THAT IN THE WAY HE EMBRACED
YOU NAD THE WAY HE SAID HELLO TO
PEOPLE.
(15:08:57-15:09:13) ))
WE ALSO HAVE REACTION FROM JIM
CORNELISON --
AN I-U GRAD WHO SANG BACK HOME
AGAIN IN INDIANA AT THE INDY 500
LAST YEAR.
ON TWITTER --
HE SAYS I AM PROUD AND HONORED
TO DO MY BEST TO CARRY
ON THIS UNIQUE, POWERFUL
TRADITION --
THANKS @IMS AND @JDOUGLAS4 FOR
THE OPPORTUNITY.
(ERIC)
AND COMING UP AT 6 --
WE ASK LAURA STEELE FOR SOME OF
HER FAVORITE MEMORIES OF JIM
NABORS.
LIVE OUTSIDE IMS --
ERIC FELDMAN --