LOS ANGELES, Jan. 17 -- Andy Samuel Griffith Jr., son of the star of 'The Andy Griffith Show' and 'Matlock,' was found dead early Wednesday in a Los Angeles apartment, the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office said. He was 38.
Coroner's spokesman Scott Carrier said the cause of death was not immediately known and there was no sign of foul play. 'We understand he may have had a history of problems with alcoholism,' Carrier added. Carrier said the coroner's investigation would take about one day. Charles Carter, a private investigator who works for the actor, said Andy Griffith Jr. was the actor's adopted son. A spokesman for the elder Griffith at the William Morris Agency in Los Angeles said the family had issued no statement, pending their own confirmation of the dead man's identity. Carter said no identification was found on the body, 'but at this point it looks like it's him.'
