The Andy Griffith Museum stated on October 17 that actress Elizabeth “Betty” Lynn had passed away on October 16, 2021, at the age of 95. Lynn was a regular on TV shows in the ’50s and ’60s, but her role as Thelma Lou on ‘The Andy Griffith Show’ is what made her famous. According to reports, Lynn passed away in North Carolina’s Mount Airy, where the Andry Griffith Museum can be found.
It’s not just Lynn’s mourners who have been busy this year. Stars like ‘Black Panther’s’ Dorothy Steel, ‘The Simpsons’ Cynthia Harris, and ‘Old Yeller’s’ Tommy Kirk, who was a Disney child actor, all passed away in 2021. We broke the news earlier that on September 21st, filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles passed away.
Lynn’s de@th was reported by the Andy Griffith Museum, although few details were given. We don’t know very more at this time because her family has not yet made a statement. But here is the information we have.
Betty Lynn Cause of De@th
Actress Betty Lynn, who played Thelma Lou, Barney Fife’s girlfriend on “The Andy Griffith Show,” has passed away. She died at the age of 95.
After a brief illness, Lynn passed away, according to a statement released by the Andy Griffith Museum in Mount Airy, North Carolina.
From 1961 until 1966, Lynn portrayed Thelma Lou on the show. In the TV movie “Return to Mayberry,” she played Thelma Lou again, and this time she and Barney tie the knot.
At a young age, Kansas City, Missouri native Elizabeth Ann Theresa Lynn (born August 29, 1926) took an interest in dance and theater. She began appearing in USO Camp Shows in 1944.
During World War II, Lynn took her skills abroad to play for American servicemen at the United Service Organizations (USO). According to the museum’s statement, she was “thought to be the only American woman to have traveled the dangerous Burma Road during the war.”
Betty Lynn’s Costar Paid Tribute to Her Legacy
Not only has Betty Lynn passed away, but other cast members from “The Andy Griffith Show” have as well. In 2012, Griffith joined George Lindsey in passing away. Lynn’s on-screen boyfriend Don Knotts passed away in 2006. Ron Howard, who played Opie Taylor and is now 67, is the last surviving member of the original cast.
Howard paid tribute to Lynn on October 17 after The Andy Griffith Museum announced her de@th. “RIP Betty Lynn. She played Thelma Lou on #TAGS & brightened every scene she was in & every shooting day she was on set,” the director tweeted. “I saw her last a few years ago when she still lit up the room with her positivity. It was great to have known and worked with her. She truly was 95yrs young.”
RIP Betty Lynn. She played Thelma Lou on #TAGS & brightened every scene she was in & every shooting day she was on set. I saw her last a few years ago where she still lit up the room with her positivity. It was great to have known and worked with her. She truly was 95yrs young. https://t.co/2KMMQRz4PP
— Ron Howard (@RealRonHoward) October 17, 2021
As for what the actor hoped for her legacy, she had some surprising thoughts on the matter. “People don’t have to remember me. I don’t think it’s necessary that I be remembered,” Lynn told WYMT-TV in 2018.
“They could say a prayer for me. I would like that … You know, most people feel they’ll get to heaven. I’m not sure I will, but I want to. So if they’ll pray for me, I’d appreciate that. I can’t think of anything else.”
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