MANTEO, N.C. (AP/NewsChannel 5) - Andy Griffith, whose homespun mix of humor and wisdom made "The Andy Griffith Show" an enduring TV favorite, has died. He was 86.
Dare County Sheriff Doug Doughtie said in statement Griffith died Tuesday at about 7 a.m EDT. He said the family will release further information.
His starring role as a small-town sheriff drew upon his own upbringing in Mount Airy, N.C. The show also starred Don Knotts and was one of the top hits of the 1960s and a perennial in reruns.
Griffith later played a shrewd Southern lawyer in another successful series, "Matlock."
Before taking on television, he won wide praise in the 1950s in the Broadway comedy "No Time for Sergeants" and the dramatic film, "A Face in the Crowd."
Griffith received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005 from President George W. Bush.
Country music star Brad Paisley, whose video for the song "Waiting on a Woman" featured Griffith, released a statement:
"Few people in this world will ever have more influence on our lives than Andy Griffith. 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. Andy Griffith made the world a better place, and I was so proud to call him a friend."
(The Associated Press/NewsChannel 5.)
(AP Photo/FILE)
