Sheriff Andy Dies of Natural Causes He Was 86

Beginning in 1960, Griffith starred as Sheriff Andy Taylor in The Andy Griffith Show for the CBS television network. The show took place in the fictional town of Mayberry, North Carolina, where Taylor, a widower, was the sheriff and town sage. From 1960 to 1965, the show co-starred character actor and comedian—and Griffith's longtime friend—Don Knotts in the role of Deputy Barney Fife, Taylor's best friend and partner. He was also Taylor's cousin in the show. In the series première episode, in a conversation between the two, Fife calls Taylor "Cousin Andy", and Taylor calls Fife "Cousin Barney". The show also starred child actor Ron Howard (then known as Ronny Howard), who played Taylor's only child, Opie Taylor.The show was actually filmed at Desilu Studios, with exteriors filmed at Forty Acres in Culver City, CA.Griffith died presumably from natural causes around 7:00am on July 3, 2012 at his home on Roanoke Island in Dare County, North Carolina at the age of 86.