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Character actor Bill Byrge, best known for appearing alongside Jim Varney in the Ernest films, has passed away.

According Byrge's cousin, Sharon Chapman (via Facebook), Byrge died on Thursday, Jan. 9. No additional details about his passing, such as his cause of death, were revealed, though Chapman noted that he died in the Nashville area. There are conflicting reports about his age, with some outlets reporting him to have been 86, while others reported 92.

Chapman's Facebook post added, "He was a beautiful soul who made people laugh without even trying. He was the 'Bobby' character in several Ernest movies with Jim Varney. I always teased him of being a 'star' in our family. He deserved it as raised poor, but his momma taught him love, respect, and faith which he showed to everyone. Heaven gained a sweet soul today. Love you, Billy. See you soon!"

My cousin, Bill Byrge, passed away in...

Bill Byrge, who showed up as the quiet but feisty Bobby on a kids TV show and in four of the goofy Ernest comedies that starred Jim Varney, has died. He was 86.

Byrge died Thursday in the Nashville area, according to a Facebook post from his friend John Ward, host of the web series The Appalachian Channel.

The rubber-faced Varney made his debut as Ernest P. Worrell, a dim-witted Southerner with an unseen neighbor named Vern, in local commercials for a Nashville advertising agency starting in 1980.

Byrge appeared as a gas station attendant when Varney portrayed Ernest and other characters in the horror spoof Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam (1985), and on the 1988 Saturday morning CBS kids show Hey, Vern, It’s Ernest!, he was Bobby alongside Gailard Sartain as Chuck in a brother shtick.

Byrge returned with Sartain as airport workers in Ernest Saves Christmas (1988) and as...

Bill Byrge, an actor who appeared in many of the “Ernest” comedy films as “Bobby,” died on Thursday at the age of 92 in Nashville, Tenn.

Byrge’s cousin, Sharon Chapman, confirmed his death in a Facebook post.

“My cousin, Bill Byrge, passed away in the Nashville area today at 12pm. He was a beautiful soul who made people laugh without even trying. He was the ‘Bobby’ character in several Ernest movies with Jim Varney. I always teased him of being a ‘star’ in our family. He deserved it as raised poor, but his momma taught him love, respect, and faith which he showed to everyone,” Chapman wrote.

“Heaven gained a sweet soul today. Love you, Billy. See you soon!” Chapman added.

Byrge was born in Tennessee in 1932. He started out working at the Metro Nashville Public Library prior to pursuing a film career. In 1985, he portrayed a gas station attendant...

Bill Byrge, a comedian and actor known for his appearances alongside Jim Varney in various “Ernest” projects, has died at the age of 92. Byrge’s cousin Sharon Chapman confirmed the news on Facebook.

“He was a beautiful soul who made people laugh without even trying. He was the ‘Bobby’ character in several ‘Ernest’ movies with Jim Varney. I always teased him of being a ‘star’ in our family,” she shared on Thursday. “He deserved it as raised poor, but his momma taught him love, respect and faith, which he showed to everyone. Heaven gained a sweet soul today.”

Byrge was born in Campbell County, Tennessee, in 1932. He first appeared in “Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam,” the very first “Ernest” movie, starring Varney and directed by their longtime collaborator John Cherry. Byrge appeared as a gas station attendant.

In 1986, he starred in a series of commercials with...

Bill Byrge, the librarian-turned-actor who was a regular in the Ernest movies, died January 9 in Nashville. He was 92.

News of his death was confirmed by his cousin Sharon Chapman on Facebook.

“My cousin, Bill Byrge, passed away,” she wrote. “He was a beautiful soul who made people laugh without even trying. He was the ‘Bobby’ character in several Ernest movies with Jim Varney. I always teased him of being a ‘star’ in our family. He deserved it as raised poor, but his momma taught him love, respect, and faith which he showed to everyone.”

The Tennessee-born actor worked for the Metro Nashville Public Library but left it in the mid-1990s to focus full time on acting.

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His first role opposite Varney was on 1985’s Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam. He played a gas station attendant. He went on to recur as the...

The creation of Ernest P. Worrell, played by actor/comedian Jim Varney, was novel for an advertising-saturated age. The idea was that the character's creators -- John R. Cherry III, his business partner Jerry Carden, and Varney -- would farm out their pre-made mascot to whatever product or service that might want him, and Ernest would hawk their wares. He wasn't invented for any one particular business. He was invented to be a pitchman-for-hire, and the Ernest ads all followed a similar format, making the commercial spots low-budget and instantly universal. Ernest was hired by the Coca-Cola Company to sell Sprite, but would also appear in ads for local businesses like the Cerrito Auto Square. Ernest was very, very popular.

Eventually, the Ernest ads became so huge and ubiquitous that the character began to bleed over into feature films and TV shows. Ernest was a media personality writ large, living...