Tom Lester is believed to have been the last surviving cast member of Green Acres

Green Acres Star Tom Lester Dies of Complications from Parkinson's Disease at 81

Actor Tom Lester has died. He was 81.

The star died on Monday in Nashville, Tennessee, due to complications from Parkinson’s disease, his brother Michael Lester announced on Facebook.

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He died in the home of his fiancée and longtime caregiver, Jackie Peters, his brother shared.

Lester is most known for his role as Eb Dawson on the TV series Green Acres, which follows a New York City attorney and his wife as they attempt to live as genteel farmers.

The series first aired in 1965 and ran for six seasons before ending in 1971.

“He was the only connection with the youth the show had,” Green Acres director Richard L. Bare said of Lester to the TV Academy’s The Interviews series in 2003, Deadline reported.

Lester reprised his role as Dawson in the TV movie Return to Green Acres in 1990.

Lester is believed to have been the last surviving cast member of Green Acres, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

He also portrayed the character Eb Dawson in the hit series The Beverly Hillbillies and Petticoat Junction.

Lester also landed a number of film roles including his part as Riley in the 1974 movie Benji and Cousin Jake in Gordy. He also starred in Charo and the Sergeant as Sgt. Hank Palmer.

Image zoom Tom Lester in Charo and the Sergeant

Lester was born in Jackson Mississippi in 1938, according to his IMDb bio, and spent his childhood on his grandfather’s farm on which he shucked corn, fished, picked cotton and hunted.

Before taking his talents to Hollywood, Lester graduated from the University of Mississippi, earning a degree in biology and chemistry.

Of his career in acting, Lester said his friends told him in an undated interview, according to The Hollywood Reporter, “You’re crazy. You’ll never be able to do that. You’re too tall, too skinny, too ugly. You’ve got a Southern accent, and you’ll never make it in the motion picture business.”

Image zoom Tom Lester

Aside from his career in Hollywood, Lester remained an active member of his Mississippi farming community.

In 1997, he was the recipient of Mississippi’s Wildlife Farmer of the Year award.

In the Facebook announcement, Lester’s brother announced that there will be a graveside service on Friday, April 24.