Opie's death in Sons of Anarchy was heartbreaking but essential for the narrative, pushing Jax's character forward in a dramatic way. Opie's sacrifice was a final act of loyalty to the club, showcasing his unwavering dedication to his friends until the very end.
Series creator Kurt Sutter said: I do believe that some of it was a sense of, 'Here's an opportunity for me to go out doing the right thing, to be of best service to my club' — and also to his family, Jax wasn't going to force himself to make that choice [of who dies].
Opie was paroled from a five year stay in prison following his conviction for a botched arson (blowing up a truck yard) with ex-member Kyle Hobart. His wife, Donna, was killed by Tig during a botched hit against him after the ATF set him up as a rat against the club in an attempt to take down SAMCRO.
Jax got his revenge -- to a degree -- on "Sons of Anarchy." Pope remains untouchable, but as a gesture of goodwill, he gave Jax the address of the prison guard who orchestrated the fatal beatdown of Opie. So Jax returned the favor with a snow globe in a scene every bit as disturbing as Opie's demise.
Falling for Stahl's lies, Clay orders Tig to kill Opie; but sadly, when he later tries to call off the hit after hearing the truth from Uncer, Tig shoots up Opie's truck anyway, only to accidentally kill Donna, who just happened to be the one driving it instead.
Jax got his revenge -- to a degree -- on "Sons of Anarchy." Pope remains untouchable, but as a gesture of goodwill, he gave Jax the address of the prison guard who orchestrated the fatal beatdown of Opie. So Jax returned the favor with a snow globe in a scene every bit as disturbing as Opie's demise.
Andy is a widower and father to one young son, Opie. In the backdoor pilot episode from The Danny Thomas Show, viewers learn Andy lost his wife when Opie was "the least little speck of a baby." In the first episode of the show Andy has a maid who is getting married and moving away.
Though fans are most likely much more familiar with his on-screen son Opie, played by Ron Howard, Griffith was actually a father in real life as well. He had two children — daughter Dixie Griffith and son Andy Griffith Jr.
To have him die for the club was a testament to his character and demonstrated his loyalty to his friends right up to the bitter end. Opie's death in Sons of Anarchy was also the incident Jax needed to push his arc forward. Without his best friend's death, Jax would never have become the man he was meant to be.
Unser shows up at the party and tells Clay that Opie is innocent. Clay attempts to call off the hit, but Tig misses the call and shoots at Opie's truck with an UZI, accidentally killing Donna.
When Clay Morrow ordered Tig Trager to kill Opie, Tig kills Donna by mistake. Opie later became aware of this after Tig confessed to him out of guilt. In response, Opie beat Tig and later held Stahl at gunpoint but showed mercy and let her live.
Jax's loyalty to his motorcycle club and his family constantly pulled him in different directions throughout the series. Jax's decision to take his own life was the only way for him to truly protect and free the ones he loved from the dangers of the criminal world.
For most of the series, Gemma hated Tara. She felt that Jax deserved a girl who could fit into his life. When she finally got the chance to end Tara's life, she did so in a brutal manner. In as much as she tried to cover it up, Jax found out what had happened and killed her too.
The reason why Gemma was killed in Sons of Anarchy wasn't because of her involvement in JT's death, but because she killed Tara and lied to Jax about it, which in turn unleashed a series of violent events.
'The Andy Griffith Show' was the 60th most watched TV show. In 2016. According to Howard himself, who once explained the origin of the name to Jay Leno, Opie was named after bandleader and actor Opal “Opie” Taft Cates, a popular clarinetist from swing-era Arkansas.
After Opie's death, his children stayed with his wife, Lyla (Winter Ave Zoli), who struggled to provide for them and her child but always counted on the help of the club, so it's possible that Opie's son (and maybe even Lyla's son, too) could become members of the club at some point.
Andy Griffith had real feelings for Helen Crump actor Aneta Corsaut. Helen Crump stole Andy Taylor's heart on screen; apparently, life imitates art. While the duo kept things quiet, Corsaut and Griffith developed their own relationship as things were heating up between Andy and Helen.
Jax, Chibs (Tommy Flanagan), and Tig were arrested, but Opie joined them in prison as he got himself arrested after assaulting Roosevelt, and he ended up sacrificing himself in jail so his brothers could be freed.
Ron(ny) Howard was born March 1st, 1954. When he was Opie on the show, he was playing his very same age. So when they completed filming (including Andy & Helen's wedding for Episode 1 of “Mayberry RFD”), he was 14 years old.
Jax has Juice killed, murders Unser and Gemma, gives custody of Abel and Thomas to Wendy, and asks Nero to help get his sons out of Charming and ensure they grow up hating their father.
Mackey serves as a secondary antagonist in the early episodes of Season 5, and is most known for orchestrating the death of Opie Winston while incarcerated with the Sons in the same county jail. He met his demise during his only other appearance, on the episode "Small World", in the same season.
