Andy Griffith and Don Knotts made ‘The Andy Griffith Show’ what it was—hilarious and beloved by many. The actors were best friends while filming, playing pranks and never failing to make the other laugh. But did they keep in touch once the show was over?

Don Knotts and Andy Griffith were friends for life

Griffith and Knotts had undeniable chemistry on The Andy Griffith Show. And there’s a reason for that — the two were extremely close in real life.

Author Daniel de Visé wrote in his book Andy and Don, The Making of a Friendship and a Classic American TV Show, that the actors were “drawn to each other instantly.” They had similar backgrounds and childhoods. And they made each other laugh, easily and heartily.

That chemistry stayed with them their whole lives.

“Though their Mayberry partnership lasted only until 1965, the two remained best friends for life,” de Visé said in an interview, as reported by Outsider. “Andy was with Don in 2006 at his deathbed.”

How Andy Griffith and Don Knotts met

Griffith and Knotts met while working on a production of No Time for Sergeants on Broadway in 1955.

After No Time for Sergeants closed, the actors didn’t see each other for five years. But they connected again after Knotts watched Griffith’s appearance on The Danny Thomas Show. Knotts started thinking about how he and Griffith could work together again.

“A part on Andy’s new show just might rekindle Don’s career—and revive his old friendship with Andy,” reads the 2015 book. “Don had always hoped he and Andy might work together again someday. Then, he placed a call to New York [and] told Andy how much he’d enjoyed the pilot. Then he asked, ‘Listen, don’t you think Sheriff Andy Taylor ought to have a deputy?’”

Why Don Knotts left ‘The Andy Griffith Show’

Knotts left The Andy Griffith Show because he was told that the show was going to end after five seasons. So as the fifth season approached, he began looking for other work. By the time Griffith had decided to continue his show, Knotts had already signed a five-year movie contract with Universal. He did come back occasionally for guest appearances, though.

Amidst Knotts’ exit, rumors circulated that the old friends had some sort of feud that led to the actor’s leave. But Knotts’ daughter Karen dispelled those suspicions.

“Some people still think they were rivals,” she told told Fox. “They weren’t rivals at all. There was no rivalry. Andy was my dad’s biggest fan. He was a mentor to him his whole life and they loved each other dearly.”