Actor Andy Griffith dies in North Carolina at 86

(Reuters) – Actor Andy Griffith, whose portrayal of a small-town sheriff made “The Andy Griffith Show” one of television’s most enduring shows, died yesterday at his North Carolina home at age 86.

“At approximately 7 a.m., July 3, 2012, Andy Griffith passed away at his home on Roanoke Island, Dare County, North Carolina. The family will release further information shortly,” county Sheriff J.D. Doughtie said in a written statement.

Griffith created another memorable character, the folksy defense lawyer in “Matlock” in the 1980s and 1990s, but it was his role as 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.