Maggie Peterson, the actress who played Andy Taylor’s love interest on “The Andy Griffith Show,” has died, her family revealed on Monday, according to TMZ. She had reached the age of eighty-one when she passed away.
Maggie Peterson, Star Of “The Andy Griffith Show,” Has Died At The Age Of 81
Messages on her Facebook page indicate that Ms. Peterson died peacefully in her sleep on Sunday. Mrs. Peterson declined in health when her husband, Gus, died of Alzheimer’s disease in 2021, according to the message. “I liked being a part of this beautiful program and the many friends and followers I made because of it,” she stated in a social media statement in the year 2020.
Peterson’s Facebook and GoFundMe account verified that she “went away peacefully Sunday afternoon with her family present,” according to a statement issued by her niece Amy Royer and nephew Ben Eaton.
As the statement continued, “We are relieved that we were able to bring Maggie home to be with her family in her final days,” her health had been declining since Gus’s death. The message reads, “We will be holding a private funeral for Maggie in the near future.”
As Charlene Darling, Peterson made her acting debut in five episodes of “The Andy Griffith Show” from 1963 to 1966. She returned to the popular series in 1968 as a character named Doris in a new episode.
Her character Charlene was reprised in the 1986 TV movie Return to Mayberry, in which the Andy Griffith Show’s cast resurfaced.
In 1964, she played a waitress named Susie on The Bill Dana Show, and in the late 1960s and early 1970s, she appeared on Green Acres and The Odd Couple.
It happens in two separate episodes: Charlene Peterson marries Sheriff Andy Taylor, and Opie Taylor, the younger son of Sheriff Taylor, marries Charlene.
Peterson’s Charlene roles on The Andy Griffith Show and its spin-offs, Gomer Pyle USMC and Mayberry R.F.D., established her as an unofficial member of Griffith’s acting repertoire. Also in 1969, she acted as a supporting character in the movies Angel in My Pocket and The Love God? As Charlene, she made a triumphant return to Mayberry in the 1986 television movie “Return to Mayberry.”.
Peterson, a resident of Las Vegas, recently experienced the death of her longtime spouse, jazz musician Gus Mancuso. Maggie’s health deteriorated after the death of her husband Gus, and we are glad that we were able to bring her home to be with her family in her final days, says the family in a statement.
While still a young girl, Peterson was found by Dick Linke, Griffiths’ manager, while performing with her family band, the Ja-Da Quartet, at a record convention. Darlene sang along with the family’s songs on Griffiths’ show, including a rendition of the bluegrass staple “Salty Dog” that showcased Peterson’s vocal prowess.
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