He Had No Funeral! Andy Griffith's Body Was Lowered Into The Ground In Less Than 5 Hours After Passing

The eminent Andy Griffith was born in Mount Airy and later, resided in Manteo. He became a household name in 1960 after playing Sheriff Andy Taylor in The Andy Griffith Show, which aired until 1968. The actor passed away on July 3, 2012. His death became a spectacle because of his hasty burial.

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According to his death certificate, the legend had died almost 24 hours before his body was discovered. The cause of his demise was a heart attack but, he had several high cholesterol-related illnesses too. Years prior to it, he remained a patient of coronary artery disease, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension.

He had no funeral

According to CNN Edition, in less than 5 hours after Andy's passing, his body was lowered into the ground. It came off as odd to many observers. His family had requested the burial as soon as possible and he was readily laid to rest at the Griffith Family Cemetery in Manteo. His spokesperson had revealed it was all pre-planned.

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The location of his grave on Roanoke Island was also not disclosed according to the wish of his closed ones. The executive director of the state's Funeral Directors Association, Larry F. Stegall was as puzzled as the general public was. He remarked:

It's not very common. I don't recall having heard of it, and I've been here 32 years.

Andy's son died way before him

Griffith had tied the knot with Barbara Edwards in 1949. The couple had decidedly adopted two children together before splitting in 1972: a son, Andy Samuel Griffith, Jr. and a daughter, Dixie Nann Griffith.

Unfortunately, Sam who was a real-estate developer died in 1996 of extreme alcoholism. Andy had no son beside him and Sam's death had possibly consumed him.

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Eve though a funeral seems like a reasonable goodbye, Andy Griffith's family decided to lay his body to rest as soon as possible. Nevertheless, Andy will live in hearts of his fans forever.