Andy Griffith was married three times in his life
NEED TO KNOW
He welcomed two children via adoption with his first wife, Barbara Edwards
Griffith was married to actress Solica Cassuto from 1973 until 1981 and to Cindi Knight from 1983 until his death in 2012
Andy Griffithfound his forever love in his third wife,Cindi Knight.
At the time he catapulted to fame onThe Andy Griffith Show,he was married to Barbara Edwards, with whom he welcomed two children via adoption: son Andy "Sam" Griffith Jr. and daughter Dixie. A year after their 1972 divorce, he married Greek singer and actress Solica Cassuto, whom he split from in 1981. He went onto marry Cindi Knight in 1983 and they remained together until his death in 2012.
"It's a splendid marriage," Griffith told PEOPLE in 1986, referencing Knight. "Our thrust in life is to bring joy to each other."
Here's everything to know about Andy Griffith's three spouses: Barbara Edwards, Solica Cassuto and Cindi Knight.
Barbara Edwards
Edwards met Griffith while they were studying drama and music at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the 1940s.
The two later wed on Aug. 22, 1949, at the Little Chapel on the Fort Raleigh National Historic Site on Roanoke Island, N.C., according to an August 1958 edition ofThe Coastland Times. The venue of their nuptials acted as a nod to their time spent working together inThe Lost Colony, an outdoor drama where Griffith played Sir Walter Raleigh and Edwards starred as Eleanor Dare.
While they both enjoyed performing, Edwards toldThe Coastland Timesin August 1958 that the two had made a deal in which the first one to hit it big in show business would focus on their career, while the other would help support the family's home. However, Edwards cameoed inone episodeof theThe Andy Griffith Showas a choir member in the show's fourth season.
The two eventually welcomed two children via adoption, including son Andy "Sam" Griffith Jr., who was born in December 1957, and daughter Dixie Griffth, who was born in September 1959. Sam died in January 1996 at 38 years old.
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The two divorced in 1972. Edwards died on July 23, 1980, at 53 years old in Los Angeles.
Solica Cassuto
Just around a year after his divorce from Edwards, Griffith married Greek-American actress and singer Cassuto in 1973.
Throughout her career and relationship with Griffith, Cassuto kept her personal life private, and little is known about their marriage. Griffith and Cassuto divorced eight years later in 1981.
Cindi Knight
Griffith married his third wife, actress Knight, two years after his divorce from Cassuto in 1983.
"I had been alone for a long time when I met an extraordinary woman named Cindi Knight," he recalled toGuidepostin November 1996. "Ourrelationship began as a friendship, but as the months passed, I couldn't help but notice her strong faith and gentle strength. Did I mention she was also quite beautiful? Somehow she fell in love with me. Five years after we met as friends, we became husband and wife."
The same year as their wedding, Griffith was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome, an autoimmune disorder that can lead to paralysis, according toCBS. He died on July 3, 2012, of a heart attack.
"Andy was a person of incredibly strong Christian faith and was prepared for the day he would be called home to his Lord," Cindi said in a statement toWSOC-TVfollowing Griffith's death. "He is the love of my life, my constant companion, my partner and my best friend. 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."
Read the original article onPeople
