Remembering Andy Griffith

Sadly, we’ve lost another of our entertainment icons.

Actor Andy Griffith, whom we watched as down-home Sheriff Andy Taylor in the make-believe town of Mayberry, has died at the age of 86. Strangely, Andy left us as we approach a holiday filled with all that is Americana.  And that was Andy, both in character, and in real life.

You either knew Andy best from "The Andy Griffith Show” or maybe as the slow-drawling, murder-solving Southern attorney in the 80s and 90s series Matlock.”  But Andy Griffith was much more, a multi-talented entertainer, with roles in movies and on the stage.  Andy was also a producer and, and I’ll bet you didn’t know he was also a Grammy Award-winning gospel singer.

Ron Howard, who played Griffith's son, Opie Taylor, on "The Andy Griffith Show," has gone on to Hollywood mogul status with his own career.  Today on Twitter he said about Andy, "His pursuit of excellence and the joy he took in creating served generations & shaped my life."  

Take a listen to some of Andy’s stand-up comedy routines, especially his version of someone who’d never seen a football game.  “What It Was, Was football” and Andy’s humor is still funny today. Or maybe it’s just our desire to look back with fondness on a simpler time that may have only existed in our hearts and memories.

Losing Andy Griffith is like losing that family member who imparted wisdom, humor and common sense whenever he was around.  Remembering Andy will always take us back to a peaceful fishin’ hole on a sultry summer day.  Hopefully we’ll keep some of that peace with us as we navigate today’s troubled waters.