"'Andy Griffith" Composer Dies

Posted May 28, 2008, 12:09 pm in Entertainment
Credit Growing Bolder

Earle Hagen never released an album. He never topped the charts, but the music he wrote is some of the most familiar in American history. His biggest hit was the theme song for the "Andy Griffith Show." It's one of the most recognized melodies in our country even today, and it was written and whistled by Earle Hagen.

Hagen was no ordinary blow hard. He breezed through the creation of some of the most memorable TV theme songs ever. Hagen wrote the opening tunes for the "Dick Van Dyke Show," "Make Room For Daddy," "That Girl," "Gomer Pyle," "The Mod Squad," and "I Spy." He retired from television in 1986 and made a seamless switch to teaching. He held workshops in how to score movies and TV shows.

In 2002, Hagen completed his autobiography titled "Memoirs of a Famous Composer - Nobody Ever Heard Of." He is survived by his wife and two sons. His first wife died in 2002 after 59 years of marriage. Hagen died at his Rancho Mirage, California home. He was 88 years old.

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