Andy Griffith Dead At 86 [VIDEO]

Andy Griffith died today (Tuesday) in North Carolina. He was 86. Griffith will be most remembered for his roles on The Andy Griffith Show and Matlock.

• Griffith was born on June 1st, 1926 in Mount Airy, North Carolina
• He began his acting career with No Time for Sergeants on stage and A Face in the Crowd on the silver screen
• The Andy Griffith Show ran from 1960 to 68
• He began his nine-year run on TV’s Matlock in 1986
• Griffith was married three times, divorcing Barbara Edwards and Solicia Cassuto.
• His son, Andy Griffith Junior, died in 1996 due to alcoholism.
• Griffith is survived by his wife, Cindi Knight, and his daughters Dixie and Nancy.

Andy Griffith was born in Mount Airy, North Carolina on June 1, 1926 to Geneva and Carl Lee Griffith. He almost decided to become a Moravian preacher, but quickly realized his true passion was music. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a Bachelor of Music degree and worked as a high school music teacher.

Griffith and his first wife, Barbara Edwards started off doing traveling routines, where he would show off his musical and dramatic talents. The couple eventually moved to New York, and Andy continued his work as a performer. Griffith became a successful stage actor, as well, earning critical acclaim for No Time for Sergeants (where he met Don Knotts) and Destry Rides Again. In 1957, he made his first appearance on the silver screen in the Elia Kazan-directed film A Face in the Crowd.

Griffith earned himself a spot as an icon with The Andy Griffith Show. After continued success and a fight against Guillen-Barre syndrome, he began his run on Matlock in 1986.

Griffith won a Grammy for the gospel album I Love to Tell the Story: 25 Timeless Hymns in 1997. In recent years, he appeared in films such as Waitress and Play the Game. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005, became a part of the Christian Music Hall of Fame in 2007, and wrote his autobiography, I Appreciate It: My Life, in 2009.

Griffith was married three times, divorcing Barbara Edwards and Solicia Cassuto. His son, Andy Griffith Junior, died in 1996 due to alcoholism. Griffith is survived by his wife, Cindi Knight, and his daughters Dixie and Nancy.