Whitman Mayo, Grady of 'Sanford and Son,' dies

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Actor Whitman Mayo, best known for his role as Grady on the 1970s hit television show "Sanford and Son," died Tuesday in Atlanta of a heart attack. He was 70.

Mayo had been hospitalized for the last two months due to a hernia, a spokeswoman for the family said. He died at 5:15 a.m. as he was being transported from one hospital to another.

Mayo worked in the television and film industry for more than 30 years. He gained fame as the affable character Grady Wilson on "Sanford and Son," known for his trademark expression: "Good goobily goop!"

Most recently, Whitman hosted Turner South's original weekly series "Liars & Legends" and was an adjunct professor at Clark Atlanta University instructing a film/theater class.

"Turner South is deeply saddened by the death of Whitman Mayo," said David Rudolph, vice president and general manager of Turner South, a division of AOL Time Warner, which also owns CNN.

Among Whitman's TV credits are "Diff'rent Strokes," "In the Heat of the Night," "Trapper John, M.D." and "The Cape." Whitman's film credits include John Singleton's "Boyz in the Hood," "The Main Event" with Barbra Streisand and the 1999 "Waterproof" with Burt Reynolds.

He is survived by his wife of 28 years, Gail Reid Mayo, and three grown children.