Andy Griffith's cause of death revealed

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Andy Griffith's death earlier this week was caused by a heart attack, according to a death certificate.

The certificate, which was filed Thursday, says the 86-year-old had suffered the attack 24 hours before he died at 7 a.m. Tuesday with his wife, Cindi Knight Griffith, at his side. He was buried in the Griffith Family Cemetery in Manteo.

The death certificate also revealed Griffith had suffered for years from other illnesses, including coronary artery disease, hypertension and hyperlipidemia, which can be a form of high cholesterol or high triglycerides.

Griffith rose to fame playing the role of Sheriff Andy Taylor in the 1960s series, "The Andy Griffith Show," adding southern hospitality to the sitcom about small town America. He once said he wished he could have been a little more like Sheriff Andy Taylor.

When the show went off the air in 1968, it left as the No. 1 show in America. Eighteen years later, he made a TV comeback playing the southern, guitar-playing lawyer, "Matlock."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Get more Entertainment »

famous death, entertainment

• Comment Now
• Email
• Print
• Report a typo
•