Andy Griffith’s first wife, Barbara Bray Edwards, and he divorced in 1972. They had been married since 1949.
Barbara Bray Edwards, an actress and dancer, married Andy Griffith on August 22, 1949. The couple adopted two children, a son named Andy Samuel Griffith Jr., known as Sam, and a daughter named Dixie Nann Griffith. Over the years, as Griffith’s career flourished with his eponymous television show “The Andy Griffith Show” and other projects, the marriage faced strains. The couple eventually divorced in 1972 after 23 years of marriage.
Following the divorce, Barbara Bray Edwards kept a low profile and stayed out of the public eye. Meanwhile, Andy Griffith’s career continued to prosper, and he remarried twice more. His second marriage was to Solica Cassuto, a Greek actress, from 1973 to 1981, and his third marriage was to Cindi Knight in 1983, which lasted until his death in 2012. Barbara Bray Edwards’ life after the divorce has been private, and there is limited public information about her activities or whereabouts following the split from Griffith.