TV legend Andy Griffith of Matlock, Mayberry fame dies at 86

American actor Andy Griffith has died at the age of 86 at his home on Roanoke Island in North Carolina on Tuesday (July 3), according to news reports.

He was best known for his roles in the 1960s sitcom The Andy Griffith Show, in which he played Sheriff Andy Taylor, who lived in the fictional town of Mayberry, North Carolina, with his son Opie (Ron Howard), his Aunt Bee (Francis Bavier), and his cousin Deputy Barney Fife (Don Knotts). The hit show ran from 1960 to 1968 and led to spinoff series Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. and Mayberry R.F.D. and a reunion show, Return to Mayberry (1986).

Griffith also starred as the cantankerous Southern criminal defense attorney Ben Matlock in the legal drama Matlock, which ran from 1986 to 1995.

He also had roles on numerous TV series such as Hawaii Five-O, Here's Lucy, The Bionic Woman The Love Boat, and Dawson's Creek, and in movies such as Waitress and Play the Game.

He was also a gospel singer, winning a Grammy Award for his 1996 album, I Love to Tell the Story: 25 Timeless Hymns. He was inducted into the Christian Music Hall of Fame, in addition to the Television Hall of Fame. He received a Walk of Fame star in 1960 and an Emmy nomination for his supporting actor role in the 1981 TV movie Murder in Texas.

Here's the first episode from the first season of The Andy Griffith Show.

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