The legendary Andy Griffith has died at the age of 86, according to friends. TMZ was reporting around 7 a.m. PST that Griffith was rushed to the hospital in North Carolina—”transported by an emergency medical crew that was called to Griffith’s home in Roanoke Island.” Shortly after, former UNC President Bill Friday, a close friend of the actor, confirmed that Griffith has died.
Griffith starred in The Andy Griffith Show from 1960 through 1968, Matlock from 1986 through 1995, and even later in his years he was showing up on shows, like Dawson’s Creek. He was more than an actor, however—Griffith also directed, produced, wrote, and was even a Grammy Award-winning Southern-gospel singer. In the early stages of his career, he was a monologist—listen to “What it Was, Was Football” below, released as a single in 1953, it reached #9 in the charts.
