Barbara Bray Edwards is an actress who was born on August 17, 1926, in Wilson, Wilson County, North Carolina, United States. She is known by many as a popular performer, Andy Griffith’s first wife. Barbara Bray Edwards is also known for The Andy Griffith Show (1960).
What happened to Barbara Griffith? What happened to andy Griffith’s wife? Barbara and her husband Andy have been separated but despite their separation, multiple people still remember her as the wife of Andy Griffith who passed away on July 3, 2012. Barbara died on July 23, 1980, in Beverly Hills when she was 53 years old and was buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) in Los Angeles County, California, USA.
Barbara Bray Edwards: Bio Summary
| Name | Barbara Bray Edwards |
| Date of Birth | August 17, 1926 |
| Famous as | Andy Griffith’s Ex-wife, |
| Parent | James Spurgeon Edwards and Dixie Vance (Lamm) Edwards |
| Birthplace | Wilson, Wilson County, North Carolina, United States |
| Spouse(s) | Andy Griffith, Michael St. Clair |
| Children | Andy Samuel Griffith, Jr. a.k.a Sam Griffith, Dixie Nann Griffith |
| Died | July 23, 1980 (53 years old) |
Barbara Griffith’s Personal Life
Barbara Bray Edwards was born to James Spurgeon Edwards and Dixie Vance (Lamm) Edwards. Unfortunately, much is unknown about Barbara Edwards’s family aside from the identity of her parents. She played Sharon in the Andy Griffith show and was a good performer in the choir.
She is most recognized as a singer. She was singing during her university days and joined the singing of Santa Lucia. Her other works and credits include Olan Soule, Frances Bavier, and Reta Shaw.
Barbara Bray Edwards And Andy Griffith’s Relationship
Barbara is the first wife of Andy Griffith. Aside from being famous as an actress, she was also notable as a partner of Andy. Griffith and Barbara met during college where Barbara was a soprano and fellow Chapel Hill classmate. Andy graduated with a bachelor’s degree in music in 1949.
They settled in Goldsboro, North Carolina, where Andy taught music in high school. Barbara and Andy got married from 1949 to 1972 and their ceremony was attended by close family members and friends. The couple separated after 23 years of marriage.
They could not have children of their own during their marriage so they adopted and took home two kids. Dixie Griffith and the late Andy Samuel Griffith Jr. Andy were their adopted kids. Her son, Andy Griffith Jr., died of alcoholism in 1996. He suffered from liver cirrhosis and other health complications.
Barbara Bray Edwards was also married to Michael St. Clair in 1975 while Andy also married his second wife, Solica Cassuto.
About Barbara Bray Edwards Ex-Husband
Barbara Bray Edwards’ ex-husband was Andy Samuel Griffith who was born on June 1, 1926, in Mount Airy, North Carolina. He was the only child of Carl Lee and Geneve Griffith. He graduated from Mount Airy High School in 1944 and attended the University of North Carolina (UNC) in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
He was interested in arts and participated in the school’s drama program. He was initially a divinity student who switched majors and worked his way to a Bachelor of Music degree. Andy graduated with a bachelor’s degree in music in 1949 and taught music in high school.
He is an American actor, comedian, television producer, southern gospel singer, and writer whose career spanned seven long decades in music and television.
During his initial career, he was a monologist who delivered long stories including, What It Was, Was Football, which is told from the point of view of a naïve country preacher trying to figure out what was going on in a football game. The monologue was released as a single in 1953 on the Colonial Records label and was number nine on the charts in 1954.
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Andy is known for his Southern drawl, his folksy-friendly personality, and his gruff but friendly voice. He became known for his television roles, playing the lead roles of Andy Taylor in the sitcom The Andy Griffith Show (1960–1968) and Ben Matlock in the legal drama Matlock (1986–1995). He made headlines with his hit sitcom The Andy Griffith Show.
Barbara’s ex-husband has won some accolades for his work in the film industry. He was a Tony Award nominee for two roles. He gained prominence in the starring role in director Elia Kazan’s films A Fafilmsn the Crowd (1957) and No Time for Sergeants (1958)
Barbara’s Death
Barbara Bray Edwards passed away on July 23, 1980, in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, USA. She died at age 53. She was buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles County, California, USA.
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