DARE COUNTY, N.C.—Andy Griffith, the star of the “Andy Griffith Show” and “Matlock,” died Tuesday morning at his North Carolina home. He was 86 years old.
Former UNC President Bill Friday said ambulances rushed to the actor’s home in Dare County around 7 a.m., but Griffith did not survive.
Griffith was best known for his role as “Sheriff Andy Taylor” on the “Andy Griffith Show,” which aired in the 60s. Viewers fell in love with the gentle sheriff/ widower raising his young son—played by Ron Howard—and constantly coming to the rescue of his loveably slapstick sidekick “Deputy Barney Fife,” played by comedic genius Don Knotts.
Griffith later re-emerged in the 80s as country lawyer “Ben Matlock”—who found a good suit and stuck with it—in the long-running series “Matlock.”
Griffith died about 7 a.m. at his coastal home, Dare County Sheriff Doug Doughtie said in a statement.
“Mr. Griffith passed away this morning at his home peacefully and has been laid to rest on his beloved Roanoke Island,” Doughtie told The Associated Press, reading from a family statement.
Howard expressed his thoughts on Twitter.
“Andy Griffith His pursuit of excellence and the joy he took in creating served generations & shaped my life I’m forever gratefulRIP Andy”
— Ron Howard (@RealRonHoward)
We send our prayers and condolences to the family.
RIP Andy Griffith. We will miss you!
