'Dukes of Hazzard' star John Schneider on his friendship with Denver Pyle:'We were thick as thieves'

The actor passed away in 1997 at age 77

'Dukes of Hazzard' star John Schneider on his friendship with Denver Pyle:'We were thick as thieves'

John Schneider's favourite memories from his time on "The Dukes of Hazzard" included one particular co-star.

And throughout his time on set, he developed a lasting friendship with co-star Denver Pyle who played Uncle Jesse.

The series also starred Tom Wopat as Luke Duke and Catherine Bach as Daisy Duke, Amongst Others.

"All of my favorite memories from'Dukes' are sitting together with Denver Pyle," that the 61-year-old recently told Closer Weekly. "We'd talk about'The Doris Day Show' [which he co-starred on] and what it had been like for him to use John Ford and John Wayne. We spoke a lot about life generally. He had been, in every respect, like a real uncle to me. We were thick as thieves for all the years I did'Dukes.'"

The character celebrity passed away in 1997 at age 77 from lung cancer. Over two weeks prior to his death, Pyle mustered the strength to attend the unveiling of his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

About"The Dukes of Hazzard,″ Pyle was a grizzled and cranky relative who offered sage advice to two Southern country cousins as they crossed paths with the law within their souped-up car.

Recently, Pyle turned personal appearances as Uncle Jesse into fundraisers for children's charities.

Schneider told the outlet it doesn't surprise him that the show continues to resonate with fans.

"We became and remain part of people's extended family," Schneider explained. "For a whole lot of folks, it's [more than] just a tv series. It's the lessons they learned from it or the time they spent watching episodes with their grandparents who have passed . We are people they spent some time with during a critical time in their lives. It is a special show and I'm honored to be part of that."

Schneider told the socket that he doesn't mind getting recognized for his character decades afterwards.

"It's a superb compliment," he explained. "A new generation of kids is currently watching'Dukes' and loving it. It's terrific. I simply did a concert in North Carolina, and also there were people from ages 6 to 80 from the crowd. They all love the show."

Now, Schneider remains acting and maintaining busy on social networking. But, staying connected with fans is not always simple.

"I've my Facebook page and a YouTube station, and that I read the comments," Schneider admitted. "I don't know why I do. I am able to read 1,000 wonderful things, but the one troll who feels their only purpose in life is to be nasty to me well, I remember every word. I really don't understand why. I wish compliments lasted as long as insults, but they don't."

Still, Schneider isn't considering retiring anytime soon -- or ever.

"Oh no! Retire? I could not imagine," he explained. "We keep making the movies we all love. I write daily. I've got enough finished screenplays that even if I live to be 120, I'm still not going to live long enough to finish all the things I want to do!"

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