# Who's Opie? (A question about Opie Taylor)!

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-opie-a-question-about-opie-taylor/1033343>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\
**Created:** [September 24, 2026, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-opie-a-question-about-opie-taylor/1033343 "2026-09-24T15:39:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![salinqmind1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@salinqmind1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind1)\
**Post date:** [September 26, 2026, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-opie-a-question-about-opie-taylor/1033343/21 "2026-09-26T14:26:02Z")

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I like to think Opie’s mother was a religious type and wanted to name him Obadiah Paul Taylor. No normal kid in N. Carolina is going to be called Obadiah, so it was shortened to O.P…whatever happened to his mother, anyway?

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**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\
**Post date:** [September 26, 2026, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-opie-a-question-about-opie-taylor/1033343/22 "2026-09-26T15:10:40Z")

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Ran away with the milk man?

I always thought she died in childbirth. Really.

Ok, Google says it was established Andy was a widower and the reason she died is never revealed, in the pilot, which I just learned was from the Danny Thomas show.

Nice. Learn a thing every day on the Dope. (because of, at least)

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**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\
**Post date:** [September 26, 2026, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-opie-a-question-about-opie-taylor/1033343/23 "2026-09-26T15:52:02Z")

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> [@Beckdawrek](#):
>
> Google says it was established Andy was a widower and the reason she died is never revealed,

Remember how Barney wasn’t allowed to keep a bullet loaded in his gun?

I’m not saying that was the reason, but that was the reason.

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**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\
**Post date:** [September 26, 2026, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-opie-a-question-about-opie-taylor/1033343/24 "2026-09-26T16:10:39Z")

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Yep. That occured to me. Then I remembered Otis tryna drive and said “oh, no.. not that”.

Or she offed herself, she just couldn’t tolerate Aunt Bea’s screeching voice one more day.

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