Jerry Seinfeld, seen greeting Kramer in the TV show "Seinfeld," revealed a secret tribute to the late Andy Griffith in his scripts. (NBC/The Kobol Collection)

"Seinfeld" creator Jerry Seinfeld revealed that his scripts contained a "secret tribute" to the late TV star Andy Griffith.

Seinfeld announced on Twitter Tuesday night that "the reason every 'Seinfeld' character [is] greeted with 'Hey, (name)' " was to pay homage to Griffith, whose 1960s hit series the "Andy Griffith Show" featured the signature line "Hey, Andy."

The revelation came less than 24 hours after Griffith died at age 86 in his Manteo, N.C., home. Griffith was best known for his role as the sheriff of Mayberry, a fictional North Carolina village, in the "Andy Griffith Show," and for his lead role in the legal drama "Matlock."