Jim Nabors has announced that at the age of nearly 84 he is ending his staggering 42-year run as the opening act for the Indy 500.
Having met and usually befrended just about everyone who is anyone, from Michael Jackson to Presidents of America, Nabors recalled to reporters his meeting with Eleanore Roosevelt:
“Being Alabama friendly, I had a mouth full of tuna and said, “Hey how ya doing,” he said. Not to mention the time he met Richard Nixon: “A guy comes up behind me and he says, ‘Hey, Jim, how about watching the game with me?’ And I said, ‘OK, Mr. President.’ It was Richard Nixon!” he recalled.
Having starred in more than 200 films, the much loved Nabors said he feels it’s high time to take a step back and enjoy his senior years: “I wasn’t a singer. I wasn’t an actor. I have a degree in business. I was doing my silliness and sang like this and talked like this,” he said.
Back in 1972, an unexpected opportunity arose for the opening act for the Indy 500. Nabors said: “It’s really remarkable thing for me. It’s the highlight of my year because it’s 500,000 of my closest friends and they do make me feel like I’m their best friend.”
Being a lover of Hawaii, the perfect place to enjoy old age, Nabors said he has had enough of travelling around the world constantly and wants to relax and reflect on his illustrious career:
“You kind of go back and say, ‘Duh! Did I really do all that? I’ve been so blessed. My career and all the incredible people I’ve gotten to know and become friends with. It’s been amazing,” he said.
After his final performance at this Sunday’s Indy 500 Jim Nabors told reporters that he and his partner wish to spend more time focusing on their macadamia nut farm on Maui which they plan to transform into a fruit farm.