Andy Griffith has Passed :(

[SparkieD]

Andy Griffith dies at 86

Updated: Tuesday, 03 Jul 2012, 10:14 AM EDT
Published : Tuesday, 03 Jul 2012, 9:37 AM EDT
Rachel West



MANTEO, N.C. (WAVY) - UNC President Bill Friday says beloved television star Andy Griffith has died in North Carolina Tuesday.

Emergency medical crews responded to Griffith's Tuesday morning, Dare County Sheriff J.D. "Doug" Doughtie told WAVY.com .

Griffith's home is located along Highway 64 in Roanoke Island.

Friday, a close friend of Griffith's confirmed his death to WITN. He said Griffith's secretary called him Tuesday morning and said Griffith passed away at 7 a.m.

Several WAVY News 10 viewers in the Dare County area said the call went out shortly after 7 a.m. Officials have not released the nature of that call.

Andy Griffith, 86, was well known for his starring role on the television hit named after him, "The Andy Griffith Show", which first aired in 1960. Griffith portrayed a small-town sheriff and the show was one of the most popular series in television history.

http://www.wavy.com/dpps/entertainment/celebrity_news/ems-called-to-andy-griffiths-nc-home_4226631

[private parts]

The great Andy Griffith has died

This is a sad day. I have been a huge Andy Griffith show fan since I was a kid. An iconic TV show
that has never been matched. My father introduced it to me and I introduced it to my son. My fondest memories of this show was me and my college roommates would watch it daily drinking cold beers and quoting lines from the show constantly. End of an era for sure.

http://www.tmz.com/2012/07/03/andy-griffith-dies-dead/

[jhale667]

R.I.P. Andy...

[fryingdutchman]

Just beat me to it....

R.I.P. Andy....may flights of angels sing you to your rest.

[Jack68]

Great great man...

[Diamondjimi]

Stopped for a piss at the Andy Griffith museum in Virginia on my way to Myrtle Beach last year....
R.I.P. Andy

[SparkieD]

One of our favorite restaurants is on Roanoke Island. We always stop there on our way into the OBX. Andy was there on one such occasion. What a guy. His smile lit the entire place

[lesfunk]

mmm. mmmmmm... Good Cracker!

[SunisinuS]

One of the people that connected me to my Father....and was like him....

Sad Day for me and Millions of others....

Rip Mr. Griffith.

Thanks Andy for showing the positive side of America for all those years...

[sadaist]

Man, who wouldn't want to live in Mayberry? Sheriff that knows everyone & pies cooling on the window sills. Can almost hear the catfish jumping down at the pond now. Sad. Andy was a big slice of an America no longer. Rest in peace man.

[atomicpnk47]

Man, who wouldn't want to live in Mayberry? Sheriff that knows everyone & pies cooling on the window sills. Can almost hear the catfish jumping down at the pond now. Sad. Andy was a big slice of an America no longer. Rest in peace man.

Well put.....Amen.

[chi-town324]

interesting fact...he never won an emmy...for his show or Matlock

[clarathecarrot]

Opie's life as a child on that show was like mine running free without worry.

The kids life on that show. I wouldn't say is dissapearing from America and the world, but with all the bullshit around these days that show is a slice of Americana that may not be as prevelant anymore.

I have seen Andy in a couple really good movies over the years they are real fine not my taste but for what they are he was a damned fine actor musician and probably all around good dude.

The Andy Griffith Show with Andy and the characters found to play the other rolls are a unreal team and made that show classic.

RIP

[SunisinuS]

I thought this one a nice Tribute:

http://marquee.blogs.cnn.com/2012/07/03/what-we-love-about-andy-griffith/

It's been said that when he was younger, Andy Griffith had aspirations to become an opera singer, but fans of "The Andy Griffith Show" and "Matlock" are undoubtedly happy that he wound up pursuing acting.

The actor, who died at 86 on Tuesday, is most beloved for his portrayal of Sheriff Andy Taylor on the timeless '60s favorite "The Andy Griffith Show," as well as for his role as defense attorney Ben Matlock on the late '80s-mid '90s series "Matlock."


1. The example he set:

"The Andy Griffith Show," with its unforgettable theme song, gave the actor a landmark role in Sheriff Taylor. The widowed father to a young Ron Howard's Opie, Griffith's portrayal of the Sheriff, who oversaw Mayberry, North Carolina, still resonates decades later.


Time magazine's TV critic James Poniewozik nominates the show, which ran from 1960-1968, as one of the cultural touchstones that shaped America.

"This gentle small-town comedy gave us Mayberry's quirks without ridiculing or patronizing them," Poniewozik writes. "And Griffith's Sheriff Taylor, who'd rather wield a wry comment than a gun, was a weekly example of Americans talking through their problems. "

It also served as an example for those watching, a thought we don't often associate with TV programs today.

CNN.com commenter SnackMonster said, "I never knew my real parents when I grew up, but the home I was in as a kid had the Andy Griffith show on TV almost every day. Thanks Mr. Griffith for providing a role model for me when I needed one. You made a huge difference in my life."

Concurred commenter DirtSense, "Growing up, I didn't have a Dad. I had to look for 'dads' on TV to show me how to be. Andy Griffith was & still is one of my role models. Thank you for sharing your talent and wisdom."

2. His love for North Carolina:

Griffith was a North Carolinian through-and-through, having been raised in Mount Airy and attending college at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. North Carolina's Gov. Bev Perdue told CNN in a statement that Griffith's birthplace was evident in his work.

"Throughout his career, he represented everything that was good about North Carolina: a small town boy and UNC graduate who took a light-hearted approach to some of the attributes he grew up with and turned them into a spectacularly successful career," Gov. Perdue said. "And regardless of where that career took him, he always came back to North Carolina and spent his final years here. In an increasingly complicated world, we all yearn for the days of Mayberry. We all will miss Andy, and I will dearly miss my friend."

Added CNN.com commenter shoyaryt, "Andy Griffith IS North Carolina... there are a lot of things we, in NC, pride ourselves with. Our pine covered mountains, our BBQ and basketball. But we pride ourselves most with our favorite neighbor, NC's oldest and dearest friend; Andy Griffith."

3. "Matlock" :

There was also, of course, his role as the argumentative defense attorney Ben Matlock.

The Virginian-Pilot suggested in a 2008 profile of the actor that "if you want the TV comparison, [Griffith is] closer to the analytical braininess of Ben Matlock than he is to the country wisdom of Andy Taylor."


4. His versatility:

But even those two iconic shows don't begin to crack the surface of Griffith's contributions, which is the largest reason we adore Griffith - his talent played well from the stage to the screen.

He rose to fame and proved his wit with this 1953 comedic monologue, "What It Was, Was Football." The monologue sold more than 800,000 copies and, like a lot of Griffith's work, is as funny today as it was 59 years ago.


In addition to his Tony-nominated work on Broadway, Griffith made his mark in 1957's "A Face in the Crowd" as Larry "Lonesome" Rhodes, a country boy with an appetite for power who becomes a media sensation.


CNN.com commenter dgoren found called Griffith's work in "Face in the Crowd" "amazing, and probably his best single performance. Think how few actors can break the stereotype that can trap them from a famous role. Andy did it with Matlock just like Buddy Ebsen, but few can. That's a testament to his tremendous talent. He could play a real 'meanie' when the role called for it. Extremely versatile."

Added CNN.com commenter HotHeatWave, "The whole cast was good. He brought the best out in all of them."

5. His legacy:

With all of that, plus a Grammy-winning album to his name with "I Love To Tell The Story — 25 Timeless Hymns," it's no wonder so many concur with country singer Brad Paisley, who told CNN in a statement that few people will have the impact that Griffith had.

“An actor who never looked like he was acting, a moral compass who saved as many souls as most preachers, and an entertainer who put smiles on more faces than almost anyone; this was as successful a life as is pretty much possible," Paisley said. "Andy Griffith made the world a better place, and I was so proud to call him a friend.”






Here's a round-up of other celebrity reactions from around the Web - do share your memories of Griffith's work in the comments below:

[Jesus Christ]

Technically we hath no need for a Sheriff here in Heaven, but I'll probably give him the job anyway.

Welcome home, Andy!