Godspeed, Andy Griffith

[M2]

I'm sure some of you youngsters may have never heard of him, but for those of us who did; he portrayed a quality long lost in today's society...

Actor Andy Griffith Dead at 86

(CNN) -- Actor Andy Griffith, who played folksy Sheriff Andy Taylor in the fictional town of Mayberry, died Tuesday at the age of 86, his family said.

Griffith died at about 7 a.m. at his home on Roanoke Island, according to Dare County, North Carolina, Sheriff J.D. "Doug" Doughtie.

He passed away after an unspecified illness and "has been laid to rest on his beloved Roanoake Island," the family said in a statement.

"Andy was a person of incredibly strong Christian faith and was prepared for the day he would be called Home to his Lord," his wife,

Cindi Griffith, said in the statement issued through the Andy Griffith Museum in Mount Airy, North Carolina.

Best known for his role on "The Andy Griffith Show," the University of North Carolina music graduate also starred as a murder-solving Southern attorney in the television series "Matlock" during the 1980s and 1990s. He was also known for his roles in movies and on the stage, as a producer and as a Grammy Award-winning gospel singer...(Full story at title link)

For you young'uns, go out and see if you can find a copy of No Time For Sergeants (it's not on Netflix!).

Godspeed Andy!

[Ram]

I very clearly remember watching the Andy Griffith Show on my grandmother's old B&W TV as a very young rug rat.

He always struck me as a man of principle.

[C130GuardBum]

The Andy Griffith Show was the greatest show of all time. Always wished I could have grown up in Mayberry. RIP

[C-21.Pilot]

I didn't know this growing up, but, the "whistling" song at the beginning of the Andy Griffith Show actually had words to it. I remember watching this show too back in the day with the grandpa....

Well, now, take down your fishin' pole

and meet me at The Fishin' Hole,

We may not get a bite all day,

but don't you rush away.

What a great place to rest your bones

and mighty fine for skippin' stones,

You'll feel fresh as a lemonade,

a-settin' in the shade ...

[amcflyboy]

Though I never watched the Andy Griffith show, I did watch Matlock back in the 80's. Godspeed sir!

[Stitch]

I very clearly remember watching the Andy Griffith Show on my grandmother's old B&W TV as a very young rug rat.

He always struck me as a man of principle.

Big giant "2" on that. Watched re-runs almost everyday after school growing up. Always loved the way the had to reign in Deputy Barney Fife when Barney went on some crazy rant/binge/craze.

Farewell Andy.