Actor Andy Griffith, whose portrayal of a small-town sheriff made The Andy Griffith Show was one of American television’s most enduring shows, has died aged 86.
Television station WITN quoted a longtime friend as saying that Andy Griffith died at his home on Roanoke Island, North Carolina.
The Dare County Sheriff’s dispatcher would say only that an ambulance was called to Andy Griffith’s residence but would not comment further.
Actor Andy Griffith has died aged 86
Andy Griffith created another memorable character, the folksy defense lawyer in Matlock in the 1980s and ’90s, but it was his portrayal of Sheriff Andy Taylor on the The Andy Griffith Show in the 1960s that gave him a place in U.S. television history.
The show portrayed life in the friendly, slow-moving fictional town of Mayberry, North Carolina, which was widely believed to have been based on Andy Griffith’s own hometown, Mount Airy, North Carolina.
US sitcom actor George Lindsey, who found fame as petrol station attendant Goober Pyle on the Andy Griffith Show, has died at the age of 83.
The Marshall-Donnelly-Combs Funeral Home in Nashville said George Lindsey had died on Sunday following a brief illness.
George Lindsey played Goober on the Andy Griffith Show from 1964 to 1968.
He went on to play the same character in Hee Haw from 1971 until it ended in 1993. His other TV credits included M.A.S.H. and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.
US sitcom actor George Lindsey, who found fame as petrol station attendant Goober Pyle on the Andy Griffith Show, has died at the age of 83
“America has grown up with me,” George Lindsey said in an interview with the Associated Press in 1985.
“Goober is every man, everyone finds something to like about ol’ Goober,” he added.
In a statement released by the funeral home, Andy Griffith said: “George Lindsey was my friend. I had great respect for his talent and his human spirit.”
George Lindsey also appeared in several movies, including Cannonball Run II.
And he lent his voice to animation films such as Robin Hood, The Rescuers and The Aristocats.
George Lindsey began his professional acting career on Broadway in the musicals Wonderful Town and All American.
Funeral arrangements have yet to be announced.
