American television star Andy Griffith has died in North Carolina at the age of 86.

Griffith was the star of the 1960s program The Andy Griffith Show, as well as the 1980s legal drama Matlock.

He died at his home on Roanoke Island on Tuesday morning, according to Dare County Sheriff JD Doughtie.

His wife of three decades, Cindi Griffith, was at his bedside and issued a statement saying: "I cannot imagine life without Andy, but I take comfort and strength in God's Grace and in the knowledge that Andy is at peace and with God."

The family said Griffith "has been laid to rest on his beloved Roanoke Island," but did not elaborate.

Despite his later success with Matlock, it was the role of Sheriff Andy Taylor on the The Andy Griffith Show in the 1960s that gave him a place in television history.

The show depicted life in the friendly, slow-moving fictional town of Mayberry, North Carolina, which was widely believed to have been based on Griffith's own hometown, Mount Airy, in that state.

"North Carolina has lost its favourite son," governor Beverly Perdue said.

"Andy Griffith graciously stepped into the living rooms of generations of Americans, always with the playful charm that made him the standard by which entertainers would be measured for decades ... In an increasingly complicated world, we all yearn for the days of Mayberry."

President Barack Obama said he was saddened to hear of Griffith's death.

"A performer of extraordinary talent, Andy was beloved by generations of fans and revered by entertainers who followed in his footsteps," he said in a statement.

There was little crime to fight in Mayberry so the stories centred on the sheriff and his interactions with the quirky townspeople.

"The basic theme of our show was love," Griffith said in a 2003 interview with CNN.

"All the characters loved each other. And all the actors loved each other, too."

The show, a situation comedy, was an entertaining diversion for viewers to the social and political upheavals of the 1960s.

"It was at a point where America was really in turmoil," executive producer John Watkin told USA Today.

"The Andy Griffith Show and Mayberry represented in some sense this kind of idealised view of what America was. It contains such a heart, such a sense of community."

Griffith was born June 1, 1926, and had ambitions of being a preacher. At the University of North Carolina he earned a degree in dramatic arts in 1949 and started performing in singing groups.

He first made a name with a comedy recording, What It Was, Was Football, a spoof of a rube trying to follow the action at his first football game. That led to an appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, and from there Griffith starred in both the stage and film versions of No Time for Sergeants.

He made a big impact as a dramatic actor in his first movie, 1957's A Face in the Crowd, playing a scheming drifter whose aw-shucks persona catapults him to success as a television show host until his dark side was exposed.

Griffith later played a small-town sheriff in a television episode of The Danny Thomas Show, which led to The Andy Griffith Show.

On Broadway, Griffith was nominated for two Tony awards, in 1956 as a featured actor in No Time for Sergeants and in 1960 as an actor in the musical Destry Rides Again.

He often recorded and won a Grammy award for his 1996 gospel album "I Love To Tell The Story."

Griffith spent most of his later years in the Atlantic Coast town of Manteo, North Carolina.

He was married and divorced twice before he wed Cindi Knight Griffith in 1983. He had two children.

Reuters/ABC

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Calm, quiet, smooth, devastating

I am so very sad about this. My family vacationed every year in Nags Head, NC. Not only did we have the pleasure of getting to see Andy Griffith occasionally out and about in Manteo, my cousins and I were extras in an episode of Matlock. It was ridiculously boring. But worth every moment. He was sweet and made sure to speak personally to everyone. To thank them for being there that day. It is a lovely memory.

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I always wanted to be somebody, but now I realize I should have been more specific. --Lily Tomlin

I know I'll have scorn heaped upon me when I dismiss The Andy Griffith Show, but I can say he put on an excellent performance in Elia Kazan's A Face in the Crowd. If you can rent that flim, it is well worth watching.

R.I.P. sir

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Eudaimonia

I didn't like it either jseal. But one of my kiddos loves Matlock.

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The practice of putting women on pedestals began to die out when it was discovered that they could give orders better from there.~ Betty Grable

If I wanted your opinion, I'd remove the duct tape and ask you for it.~ Me
<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>
One man's dream is another man's nightmare~~~~> §¤ Lilith ¤§
~>My Scribbles<~
==>Gone Shopping<== ~Just a Quickie~ *~A Celebration Vacation~* ~Surprises~ Sleeping With the Window Open
What Did You Do Today? Self Defense Class ~Short Sweet Snippets~ § Summer Spin § Story Challenge Submission Pajamas

I just watched it again. Powerful stuff.

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Calm, quiet, smooth, devastating

And Lee Remick was a 24-carat sexy babe!

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Eudaimonia

Another "great" lost to the ages. Andy, Rest in Peace ... and hold a place for us to catch a live performance when we get there. You'll be missed here.

Sleep well, Andy. A good life lived.

Opey is gonna havta go fishin' an' skip rocks on the water alone now.

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I like; a) taint brushing: b) a good cigar: c) our juices together; d) champagne: e) protein squirts; f)more of these; g)much more of these; h) Damn, slide that thing into me. Deep!
Adage: 2 things are certain in life; Death & Taxes. Therefore; God & Beelzebub had a meeting to fix the problem. A mighty storm prevailed for ages until finally they ended the storm with the agreement: From now on Anyone whom chooses doesn't have to die. "Everyone wins said Beelzebub. You get an eternally grateful bunch of worshippers praying forever for lower taxes as I goad & prod them forever with higher & higher taxation."

Andy always reminds me of my Dad..... calm, quiet, well mannered,...... I think it was how that generation was raised. My Dad will be 89 in Jan.

I've heard no reaction from Ron Howard. I wonder how he is taking it.

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The practice of putting women on pedestals began to die out when it was discovered that they could give orders better from there.~ Betty Grable

If I wanted your opinion, I'd remove the duct tape and ask you for it.~ Me
<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>
One man's dream is another man's nightmare~~~~> §¤ Lilith ¤§
~>My Scribbles<~
==>Gone Shopping<== ~Just a Quickie~ *~A Celebration Vacation~* ~Surprises~ Sleeping With the Window Open
What Did You Do Today? Self Defense Class ~Short Sweet Snippets~ § Summer Spin § Story Challenge Submission Pajamas

In the technology age, Ron Howard released a deep and heartfelt tweet.

Sigh

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I always wanted to be somebody, but now I realize I should have been more specific. --Lily Tomlin

I saw bits of an interview Ron did since his death, where he did his "without Andy's professionalism etc . . . .".

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Calm, quiet, smooth, devastating

Wait, does this mean that Barney Fife is now sheriff? I'm scared.

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"BOY: On a hot summer night, would you offer your throat to the wolf with the red roses? GIRL: Will he offer me his mouth? BOY: Yes. GIRL: Will he offer me his teeth? BOY: Yes. GIRL: Will he offer me his jaws? BOY: Yes. GIRL: Will he offer me his hunger? BOY: Yes. GIRL: Again, will he offer me his hunger? BOY: Yes! GIRL: Yes. BOY: On a hot summer night, would you offer your throat to the wolf with the red roses? GIRL: Yes. BOY: I bet you say that to all the boys!" -Meatloaf

He wrote an exclusive piece for the LA Times: http://www.latimes.com/entertainmen...0,4710496.story