Actor Jim Nabors, the star of Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., married his partner Stan Cadwallader in Seattle.

According to Honolulu-based Hawaii News Now, the men, who live in Hawaii, have been together 38 years.

Nabors, 82, and Cadwallader, a 64-year-old former firefighter, married in a private ceremony held at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel on January 15, just a few weeks after Washington state legalized such unions.

Nabors, who declined an on-camera interview, told the news outlet that after 38 years together “something's got to happen there, you've got to solidify something.” He added, “And at my age, it's probably the best thing to do.”

According to The New York Times, the men were issued a marriage certificate on December 22.

Nabors also told Hawaii News Now that he has no plans to get involved in the issue of gay marriage. And even though he has never publicly commented on his sexual orientation, he claimed he has never been closeted.

“I haven't ever made a public spectacle of it,” he said. “Well, I've known since I was a child, so, come on. It's not that kind of a thing. I've never made a huge secret of it at all.”