Actor Don Knotts Dies at 81

http://ak.imgfarm.com/images/ap/thumbnails//OBIT_KNOTTS.sff_NY358_20060225173853.jpg (http://apnews.excite.com/image/20060225/OBIT_KNOTTS.sff_NY358_20060225173853.html?date=20060225&docid=D8G0DQFGB)
(AP) Cast members from "The Andy Griffith Show", from left: Don Knotts as Deputy Barney Fife, Ron Howard...
Full Image (http://apnews.excite.com/image/20060225/OBIT_KNOTTS.sff_NY358_20060225173853.html?date=20060225&docid=D8G0DQFGB)

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Don Knotts, the skinny, lovable nerd who kept generations of television audiences laughing as bumbling Deputy Barney Fife on "The Andy Griffith Show," has died. He was 81.

Knotts died Friday night of pulmonary and respiratory complications at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Beverly Hills, said Paul Ward, a spokesman for the cable network TV Land, which airs "The Andy Griffith Show," and another Knotts hit, "Three's Company."

Unspecified health problems had forced him to cancel an appearance in his native Morgantown in August 2005.

The West Virginia-born actor's half-century career included seven TV series and more than 25 films, but it was the Griffith show that brought him TV immortality and five Emmies.

The show ran from 1960-68, and was in the top 10 of the Nielsen ratings each season, including a No. 1 ranking its final year. It is one of only three series in TV history to bow out at the top: The others are "I Love Lucy" and "Seinfeld." The 249 episodes have appeared frequently in reruns and have spawned a large, active network of fan clubs.

As the bug-eyed deputy to Griffith, Knotts carried in his shirt pocket the one bullet he was allowed after shooting himself in the foot. The constant fumbling, a recurring sight gag, was typical of his self-deprecating humor.

Knotts, whose shy, soft-spoken manner was unlike his high-strung characters, once said he was most proud of the Fife character and doesn't mind being remembered that way.

His favorite episodes, he said, were "The Pickle Story," where Aunt Bea makes pickles no one can eat, and "Barney and the Choir," where no one can stop him from singing. "I can't sing. It makes me sad that I can't sing or dance well enough to be in a musical, but I'm just not talented in that way," he lamented. "It's one of my weaknesses."

That's so sad. RIP :(

wow, i cant believe it. i just turned to fox news when they said he died last night. im in shock, thats so sad. :( he was a good man.

OMG, no :( I love him. RIP

RIP.

awww :(

:crying: So sad.

:rip: Don Knotts

I still can't believe this is happening.. :( R.I.P Don

:( :crying: :rip:

To the great Don Knotts

:rip:

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Aw, man. :crying:

Rip :rip: :(

:rip: :(

:crying: :rip:

RIP :(

RIP :(

RIP Don Knotts

:rip: :( :crying: RIP Don

this is really sad. :(

Yet another person I never got to meet I wanted to. :(

RIP

RIP Don Knotts. You were great.:(

Some celebrity deaths hit us harder than others. This is one of those times, for me. This has brought a lump to my throat and a few tears to my eyes.

Don Knotts was a comic genius who made so many people laugh through the decades. He will be missed.

Rest In Peace, Mr. Knotts.

Oh my God!! :(

I read the title of this thread and just stopped everything. :(

Rest In Peace Mr. Furley.

You'll be missed dearly!!! You've given us laughter and so much more! :(

RIP Don Knotts, you will be forever missed :( :rip:

he was one of the funniest men who ever lived and he will be missed by fans of all ages we will miss you don thank you for all the laughs

Good article on Don....

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-donknotts-obit,0,526013,full.story?coll=la-home-headlines

:( That's so sad. He was hilarious. RIP, Don.

VERY sad news. He was awesome at everything. I have put up a piece on him on our blog:
http://www.sitcomsonline.com/blog/2006/02/breaking-news-don-knotts-passes-away.html

My website will follow: http://jacksbistro.freeservers.com

i was so devasted when i heared he was so awsome i gonna miss him =(

RIP :(

I couldnt believe it when I seen this thread, I know he was old and all....But Don Knotts just rules so much, its hard to take. :(

Rest in Peace, Don Knotts. :(

This is horrible, I love Don Knotts. :(

R.I.P.

OMG, I adored Don Knotts. That is just so sad. :( I really loved him on TAGS and then on Three's Company. I loved Furley just as much as I loved the Ropers.

Rest in peace, Don. :(

:eek: :( My mom told me about this. I was in shock. First John, now Don. Good-bye! I'm sure you two will make heaven one of the funniest places to be! :rip:

I just seen that on the news at 6pm, his family got my thoughts and prayers with them :rip: :roper

What sad news to hear. Don created one of the most memorable characters ever in Deputy Fife. Don Knotts was a comic genius!

Actor Don Knotts Dies at 81

http://ak.imgfarm.com/images/ap/thumbnails//OBIT_KNOTTS.sff_NY358_20060225173853.jpg (http://apnews.excite.com/image/20060225/OBIT_KNOTTS.sff_NY358_20060225173853.html?date=20060225&docid=D8G0DQFGB)
(AP) Cast members from "The Andy Griffith Show", from left: Don Knotts as Deputy Barney Fife, Ron Howard...
Full Image (http://apnews.excite.com/image/20060225/OBIT_KNOTTS.sff_NY358_20060225173853.html?date=20060225&docid=D8G0DQFGB)

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Don Knotts, the skinny, lovable nerd who kept generations of television audiences laughing as bumbling Deputy Barney Fife on "The Andy Griffith Show," has died. He was 81.

Knotts died Friday night of pulmonary and respiratory complications at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Beverly Hills, said Paul Ward, a spokesman for the cable network TV Land, which airs "The Andy Griffith Show," and another Knotts hit, "Three's Company."

Unspecified health problems had forced him to cancel an appearance in his native Morgantown in August 2005.

The West Virginia-born actor's half-century career included seven TV series and more than 25 films, but it was the Griffith show that brought him TV immortality and five Emmies.

The show ran from 1960-68, and was in the top 10 of the Nielsen ratings each season, including a No. 1 ranking its final year. It is one of only three series in TV history to bow out at the top: The others are "I Love Lucy" and "Seinfeld." The 249 episodes have appeared frequently in reruns and have spawned a large, active network of fan clubs.

As the bug-eyed deputy to Griffith, Knotts carried in his shirt pocket the one bullet he was allowed after shooting himself in the foot. The constant fumbling, a recurring sight gag, was typical of his self-deprecating humor.

Knotts, whose shy, soft-spoken manner was unlike his high-strung characters, once said he was most proud of the Fife character and doesn't mind being remembered that way.

His favorite episodes, he said, were "The Pickle Story," where Aunt Bea makes pickles no one can eat, and "Barney and the Choir," where no one can stop him from singing. "I can't sing. It makes me sad that I can't sing or dance well enough to be in a musical, but I'm just not talented in that way," he lamented. "It's one of my weaknesses."


Not to be Rude, But shouldn't this be in the "Three's Company", Thread?

RIP, Don Knotts. :rip:

Wow, what a shame.

Don Knotts was arguably one of the funniest men to ever step in front of a Television camera.
It's a testimony to his talent that to this day Barney Fife is still considered one of the top TV characters of all time.

He will be missed.

Worst day ever.
I have never cried this hard over a death of someone that I don't even know.

Very sad news. :(
But Don did outlive Norman Fell (who lived to age 74), who was born the same year as Don (1924) by a little over 7 years.

I can't believe it. I mean I knew he was sick but Don is just one of those people you think will always be there. I grew up with this guy and he sure brought a lot of laughter to me, first on TAGS and then in those Disney Movies. Him and Tim Conway made a great team. And then of course on Three's Company one of my favorite shows and Don was one of the reasons why. R.I.P. Don your legacy will live forever.


R.I.P. :(

I just heard about this a few minutes ago. It is so sad. I will sure miss him alot. I loved him on The Andy Griffith Show and Three's Company. He was a very good actor.

My sister is a huge Don Knotts fan and it pained me to tell her of his passing.

It was nice to hear that Andy Griffith was one of his last visitors. Right there for Don until the end.

:rip: Don

So sad to hear of Don's passing... he left a memorable mark on television during his forty-year plus career... he will certainly be missed... :(

Not to be Rude, But shouldn't this be in the "Three's Company", Thread?
I think after years of being a member here and moderator of this board, I have a pretty good idea of what belongs where. Not to be rude or anything...

I think after years of being a member here and moderator of this board, I have a pretty good idea of what belongs where. Not to be rude or anything...
owned. :bd:

this is so sad. i was watching tv with my boyfriend today and saw this while flipping through channels.:( rest in peace, don.

I'm hoping that TV Land or Nick @ Nite will have a couple of marathons....TAGS and Three's Company/The Mr. Furley years. I'd also like to see a retropective of Don's life.

May he rest in peace.

It's sad to see a legend like Don Knotts go. He was truly one of the best. He will forever be missed. His death was totally unexpected. So sad. :(

I can't beleive he's gone. R.I.P. Don. :rip: :crying:

This is terrible. :( R.I.P. Don. He was hilarious on TC and TAGS. I saw him recently on an episode of That 70's Show and he cracked me up.

Very sad. The world is a much greyer place without Barney Fife/The Love God/Mr. Chicken/Ralph Furley. :crying:



As Les Claypool, the bassist for Primus, said at the beginning of the show opening for Rush in 1992:

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!!!!!! THIS SHOW IS DEDICATED TO BARNEY FIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :notworthy: :rock:

I'm hoping that TV Land or Nick @ Nite will have a couple of marathons....TAGS and Three's Company/The Mr. Furley years. I'd also like to see a retropective of Don's life.

I can guarantee TV Land will do something. We will see both Andy Griffith and Three's Company in the marathon. News will follow here and on the blog.

For all the Barney Fife Fans




"We Love Barney Fife" (http://www.simpleprop.com/images/wade/welovebarneyfife.mp3) by Gums 'n Roses (1990) -- Approx. 2.2 MB
[Sung to the tune of Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire"]
Andy Griffith on TV, Sheriff Taylor Mayberry, Mount Pilot, North Carolina, Raleigh
Fishin' hole, Earnest T., Courthouse, Opie, Goober Pyle, Gomer Pyle, (Golllllly!)
Aunt Bea in the kitchen, lousy pickles, good friend chicken, Helen Crump, Otis drunk, Emmett's Fixit Shop
Criminals would come to town, fearless Fife tracks 'em down, his eye would pop, his gun would drop, he's a favorite TV cop
We love Barney Fife... He's the Deputy of Mayberry. We love Barney Fife.. He upholds the law with Opie's pa
Floyd the barber cuttin' hair, Howard Sprague, barber chair, barney's job is never done, law and order's in his blood, he shaky gun is at your service, catchin crooks makes him nervous, thelma lou's offical stud, nip it nip it in the bud
(This is Deputy Fife speakin' and I'm armed!!!)
Andy plays the guitar, Barney's in the squad car, driving Mayberry nuts, he's law enforcement klutz
Ticket writing everyone, he's got one bullet for his gun, bad guys are on the run, book 'em Barney murder one!
We love Barney Fife... He's the Deputy of Mayberry... Andy Griffith is our life (yeah yeah yeah), when the show is done we'll watch another one (re-run, re-run, re-run...) WE LOVE BARNEY FIFE! - 12/09/2002

I can guarantee TV Land will do something. We will see both Andy Griffith and Three's Company in the marathon. News will follow here and on the blog.
Thanks Pavan. :)

Rest In Peace Don :(, you made us laugh through out the years.

That's sad. :( Another great actor has left us. I loved him as Barney Fife and Mr. Furley.

A brilliant actor and comedian has left us. I followed Don Knotts' career from
THE STEVE ALLEN SHOW (who can forget his nervous Man on the Street?),
THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW (for which he won five well-deserved Emmy Awards),
the movies ("The Incredible Mr. Limpet," "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken," "The
Reluctant Astronaut," "The Apple Dumpling Gang," etc.), his own short-lived
NBC variety show, and so much more. One of my favorite performers. It's
nice to know that Andy Griffith (with whom he worked in "No Time for
Sergeants" even before Andy's TV series) was one of Don's last visitors.
They were friends to the end.

I'm hoping that TV Land or Nick @ Nite will have a couple of marathons....TAGS and Three's Company/The Mr. Furley years. I'd also like to see a retropective of Don's life.
A&E did a nice BIOGRAPHY treatment of Don Knotts' life. Maybe they will show
it again now.

May he rest in peace.

Don Knotts. Wow. I heard about this earlier this morning and my heart just sank. It's good to know that he lived a long fulfilled life though.

RIP Don! :(

May he rest in peace. He was good and will never be forgotten. :rip:

That's so sad, he had such a natural talent. RIP. :(

:( :( :( :( :( :(

Wow. I have always loved Don's work. First thing I saw him in was 'Three's Company'. Loved everything he's done ever since. Seemed like such a nice guy. I cannot believe this has happened.

Rest In Peace, Mr. Knotts.

THE TODAY SHOW - NBC

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 27
8:30AM (EST)

Andy Griffith will recall fond memories from his 50 year friendship with Don Knotts.