How Much Was Actor Betty Lynn Worth When She Died?
"The Andy Griffith Show" actor Betty Lynn died on October 16 at age 95, The Andy Griffith Museum has announced. Per the museum, the actor had "a brief illness" prior to her death.
In addition to her 26-episode role as Thelma Lou on "The Andy Griffith Show," Lynn was known for her roles in 1950's "Cheaper by the Dozen" and 1948's "June Bride." Still, her work as Thelma Lou is what cemented her in the hearts of fans.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, Lynn earned $500 per episode of "The Andy Griffith Show." But she had plenty of other, smaller TV roles over the years, including multiple roles in "The Magical World of Disney" in the 1960s.
Lynn never married and lived in a North Carolina retirement home, with no children to pass on her earnings to. With all of her work in Hollywood, fans may be wondering how much the actor was worth at the time of her death.
Betty Lynn had a healthy net worth
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Betty Lynn had a net worth of approximately $3 million when she died on October 16. That includes her earnings from dozens of TV and film roles, including her memorable character Thelma Lou on "The Andy Griffith Show."
While fans may be surprised that such a recognizable, well-off star would leave California for a small Southern town, Lynn loved living in Mount Airy, North Carolina, which was her co-star Andy Griffith's hometown, too. The Hollywood Reporter notes that Lynn moved to the Tar Heel State after her Los Angeles home was burglarized twice — the Mount Airy retirement home may have been a nice change of pace.
"I have loved it, I think God just picked me up and put me there and said, 'Here this is where you're supposed to be until I bring you back home,'" Lynn told WYMT in 2018 of her new hometown. Her reported $3 million net worth surely went a long way in the small town, which has a population of approximately 10,000 people, per City Data.
Other stars from The Andy Griffith Show had impressive fortunes, too
While Betty Lynn's reported $3 million net worth is nothing to scoff at, some of her co-stars from "The Andy Griffith Show" amassed even higher fortunes before their deaths. Griffith himself had a $60 million net worth when he died, according to Celebrity Net Worth. And Don Knotts, whose character Barney Fife was Lynn's on-screen love interest in the classic TV series, was reportedly worth $20 million when he died.
But director Ron Howard, who played Opie Taylor on the long-running TV series, likely has the biggest fortune of all the "Andy Griffith" stars. Howard has a net worth of approximately $200 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
As the only main cast member from "The Andy Griffith Show" who's still alive, Howard paid tribute to Lynn after her death. "RIP Betty Lynn. She played Thelma Lou on #TAGS & brightened every scene she was in & every shooting day she was on set," Howard tweeted. "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."