TLDR: Most of The Andy Griffith Show’s main cast has passed away, including Andy Griffith (died 2012), Don Knotts (2006), and Betty Lynn (2021). As of 2026, the most prominent surviving cast members are Ron Howard (now 71 and a legendary film director), his brother Clint Howard (working actor and award-winning artist), and Elinor Donahue (88, retired in Palm Desert). Several child actors who played Opie’s friends are also still alive.
The Andy Griffith Show aired from 1960 to 1968, ending its run as the number one show on television. More than 65 years after it premiered, the fictional town of Mayberry still holds a special place in American culture, kept alive through constant reruns, festivals in Mount Airy, North Carolina, and the careers of its surviving cast members.
But time has taken its toll on the people who brought Mayberry to life, with most of the beloved characters now gone.
Here’s what happened to the cast of The Andy Griffith Show and who’s still with us in 2026.
Ron Howard: From Opie to Oscar Winner
Ron Howard is by far the most successful person to come out of The Andy Griffith Show. Known to 1960s audiences as the freckle-faced Opie Taylor, Howard has become one of the most respected filmmakers in cinema history. At age 71 in 2026, he’s still incredibly active, with a slate of projects that shows no signs of slowing down.
Howard appeared in over 200 episodes of the show, growing from age 6 to 14 before viewers’ eyes. Even as a child, he showed ambition, telling producers he wanted to be a “writer-producer-director,” which prompted the crew to buy him his first camera.
He credited Andy Griffith with creating an atmosphere of “hard work and fun” that shaped his approach to filmmaking.
After successfully transitioning to adult roles in Happy Days and American Graffiti, Howard left acting in 1980 to focus on directing. Through his production company Imagine Entertainment, he’s directed massive hits including Splash, Apollo 13, and A Beautiful Mind, which won him Best Picture and Best Director Oscars in 2002. The 30+ films he’s directed have grossed more than $2 billion domestically, making him one of the highest-grossing directors of all time.
In 2024 and 2025, Howard experienced a creative burst. He directed Eden, a dark survival thriller set in the 1929 Galápagos Islands starring Jude Law and Ana de Armas. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2024 and got a U.S. release in August 2025. Critics called it one of his “most exciting projects in years,” praising its provocative nature and darker tone than his usual work.
He also directed the 2024 documentary Jim Henson Idea Man about the creator of The Muppets, continuing his streak of music and biography documentaries. Looking ahead to late 2026, Howard is producing Whalefall, a survival thriller starring Josh Brolin scheduled for October 16, 2026 release by 20th Century Studios.
Howard’s ability to move between big-budget features and documentaries while working with streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon shows how he’s adapted to modern Hollywood. He’s not just coasting on past success—he’s actively shaping the industry.
Clint Howard: The Character Actor Who Became an Artist
While his older brother conquered the director’s chair, Clint Howard carved out a unique career as one of Hollywood’s most recognizable character actors. Fans remember him as “Leon,” the silent toddler in the cowboy outfit who offered his peanut butter sandwich to people on the show. He’s since amassed over 200 acting credits and, surprisingly, has become an award-winning fine artist.
In October 2025, Howard delighted horror fans by confirming he’d return to the universe of Ice Cream Man, the 1995 cult horror film where he played a deranged killer.
Pre-production was underway for a sequel, though he revealed he’d play a “new version” of the character rather than reprising the exact role. He described the project as “twisted,” teasing that audiences would “understand why a man would put body parts in his ice cream.”
In 2024 and 2025, Howard also made a surprising jump to daytime TV, joining The Bold and the Beautiful as Tom Starr, a homeless man who helps solve a mystery and is revealed to have a tragic past as a musician. The role earned him a Daytime Emmy nomination for Guest Performer in 2025, showing his range beyond the eccentric characters he’s usually known for.
But perhaps the most unexpected development is Howard’s emergence as a landscape artist. Working primarily in pastels, he creates serene paintings of mountains, trees, and wildlife. His art career has earned serious recognition: he achieved “Master Circle” status in the International Association of Pastel Societies in 2025, won the “Founder’s Award” (1st Place Overall) at the 27th Annual Pastel 100 Competition, and was accepted as a Signature Artist in the American Tonalist Society.
He now runs “Clint Howard Fine Art,” selling original works and offering workshops for aspiring artists.
This dual career—cult horror icon and serene landscape painter—shows a depth that his typecast roles rarely allowed him to display.
Elinor Donahue: The First Season’s Leading Lady
Elinor Donahue, who played pharmacy worker Ellie Walker in the show’s first season, is one of the few surviving adult cast members. At 88 in 2026, she’s retired from acting but maintains a presence in the classic TV community as a living link to the show’s first year.
Donahue was originally intended as a long-term love interest for Andy Taylor, appearing in only 12 episodes. Her character is best remembered for “Ellie for Council,” which dealt with gender equality in a surprisingly progressive way for 1960. But Donahue asked to be released from her three-year contract after the first season because she “didn’t feel that I was playing the role properly” and felt like “a bird out of a nest.”
She described the transition from Father Knows Best to The Andy Griffith Show as difficult, saying she “didn’t feel like I had all my feathers yet.”
Donahue currently lives in Palm Desert, California. Though retired from the screen, she contributed to the 2025 book 65 Years of Mayberry: A New Celebration of The Andy Griffith Show, providing reflections on her time as Ellie Walker. Her son, Peter Ackerman, has also gotten involved in the Mayberry community, appearing as a guest at the 2025 Mayberry Days festival to discuss his book Mom, Dad, Me, and Classic TV.
The Kids Who Played Opie’s Friends
Several actors who played the children of Mayberry are still alive in 2026, now in their 70s, serving as living links to the show’s production.
Keith Thibodeaux, credited as “Richard Keith,” played Opie’s friend Johnny Paul Jason. Before The Andy Griffith Show, he was famously “Little Ricky” on I Love Lucy, making him a unique bridge between two of TV’s most important sitcoms. After acting, he left the business to pursue music, touring with the rock group David and the Giants.
Today, he serves as executive director of Ballet Magnificat!, a Christian ballet company he co-founded with his wife. He remains a regular guest at Mayberry Days and is scheduled to appear in September 2026.
Dennis Rush played Howie Pruitt, another of Opie’s friends, in several episodes between 1963 and 1965. Now 74, he’s a retired civilian who frequently attends fan conventions and is confirmed as a special guest for the 2026 Mayberry Days festival. He also contributed to the 2025 book about the show.
Sheldon Collins played Arnold Bailey, a slightly mischievous peer of Opie’s. Now 70, Collins has lived a quiet life outside entertainment but remains a known figure within the show’s deep fandom.
Recent Losses: The Stars We’ve Said Goodbye To
The 2020s have been particularly tough for The Andy Griffith Show’s remaining cast. Two beloved stars died in 2021 and 2022, marking the end of an era.
Betty Lynn, who played Barney Fife’s sweet girlfriend Thelma Lou, died on October 16, 2021, at age 95. Her connection to the show was extraordinary. In 2007, she moved from Los Angeles to Mount Airy, North Carolina—the real-life inspiration for Mayberry—becoming a resident celebrity who regularly greeted fans at the Andy Griffith Museum until her death.
The town viewed her as a living embodiment of the show’s spirit. Her memoir, Becoming Thelma Lou, was published after her death in 2022.
Maggie Peterson, who played the bluegrass-singing Charlene Darling, died on May 15, 2022, at age 81. She died in her sleep in Colorado, surrounded by family. Her health had declined rapidly after her husband of over 50 years, Gus Mancuso, died in 2021.
Peterson was a beloved figure at Mayberry events for decades, often performing musical numbers. Her death severed one of the last links to the show’s rich musical heritage.
The show’s main adult cast all passed away between 1969 and 2012. Andy Griffith died on July 3, 2012, at age 86 from a heart attack.
Don Knotts died on February 24, 2006, at age 81 from lung cancer. Frances Bavier (Aunt Bee) died on December 6, 1989, at age 86 from COPD and heart disease.
Jim Nabors (Gomer Pyle) died on November 30, 2017, at age 87 from declining health. George Lindsey (Goober Pyle) died on May 6, 2012, at age 83 from a brief illness.
The Mayberry Economy: Keeping the Town Alive
Even without the original cast, the “Mayberry” brand thrives in Mount Airy, North Carolina, Andy Griffith’s birthplace. The town has fully embraced its identity as the real-world Mayberry, creating a tourism economy that keeps the show alive.
The annual “Mayberry Days” festival is the premier event for fans, held every September. The 2026 festival, scheduled for September 21-27, shows how the event has transitioned from hosting original stars to their children and tribute artists.
Confirmed guests include Keith Thibodeaux, Dennis Rush, Rodney Dillard (one of the Darling Boys), and Karen Knotts (Don Knotts’s daughter) performing her show “Tied Up In Knotts… Untied!”
Events include the Mayberry Days Parade, “The Emmett” Golf Tournament, “Mr. Tucker’s Apple Peeling Contest,” and the “Goober Says ‘Hay’ Bale Toss,” transforming the show’s fictional quirks into real participatory events.
As the original cast fades, tribute artists have become central to the experience, with performers impersonating Floyd, Otis, and other beloved characters throughout town.
The year 2025 marked the show’s 65th anniversary, triggering a wave of retrospective content. MeTV hosted “The Month of Mayberry” in May 2025, airing the rare 1993 reunion special and curating episodes into themes.
New books were published, including 65 Years of Mayberry: A New Celebration featuring essays from surviving cast members and their children.
As we look at The Andy Griffith Show in 2026, it’s clear the series has achieved something rare: immortality through community. While most of the cast is gone, the show’s vitality hasn’t diminished. Ron Howard bridges the gap between Mayberry’s black-and-white simplicity and modern Hollywood.
Clint Howard represents the show’s eccentric, cult appeal. Mount Airy stands as a physical monument to the show’s values, fueled by a tourism economy that has successfully shifted from “meet the stars” to “experience the world.”
Mayberry remains open for business, proving that while you can’t go home again, you can definitely watch the reruns.
