(CNN) — The body of Andy Griffith, a North Carolina native and actor who for years won over audiences with his folksy appeal, was buried Tuesday morning less than five hours after he died.
He died around 7 a.m. at his home on Roanoke Island, authorities reported.
At the request of his family, Griffith’s body was lowered into a grave on the island at about 11:30 a.m. according to a funeral spokesperson who declined to be named, citing the sensitivity of the matter.
“It had been planned for some time,” said the spokesperson, who declined to reveal where on the island the body was buried.
“This was the wish of his family.”
Most known for his role as the sheriff of Mayberry on the CBS series “The Andy Griffith Show,” Griffith died Tuesday after an unspecified illness and “has been laid to rest on his beloved Roanoke Island,” the family said in a statement.
