Update: The family ofLeave It To Beaverstar Tony Dow told media outlets that theactor has not diedas it has been reported earlier, but is in his last hours and under hospice care.
Dow, who played big brother Wally to Jerry Mather’s Theodore “Beaver” Cleaver in the 1950s sitcomLeave It To Beaveris battling cancer. Earlier on Tuesday, Tony Dow’s management team – Frank Bilotta and Renee James – announced the actor had died via Facebook post, as seen below:
“It is with an extremely heavy heart that we share with youthe passing of our beloved Tonythis morning. Tony was a beautiful soul - kind, compassionate, funny and humble. It was truly a joy to just be around him. His gentle voice and unpretentious manner was immediately comforting and you could not help but love him. The world has lost an amazing human being, but we are all richer for the memories that he has left us. From the warn reminiscences of Wally Cleaver to those of us fortunate enough to know him personally - thank you Tony. And thank you for the reflections of a simpler time, the laughter, the friendship and for the feeling that you were a big brother to us all. We will miss you.”
Related:Leave It To Beaver Actor Ken Osmond Dies
Actor Continues to Battle Health Issues, Including Cancer
Dow’s wife, Lauren Shulkind, announced on May 5th thather husband’s cancerhad returned but that he was approaching the illness “bravely.” After a brief hospitalization for pneumonia last August, a worried Shulkind shared that Dow was forced to wait 24 hours for a hospital bed due to surges of the Delta variant COVID-19 cases in California. She added that despite a “violent cough” that was causing pain on the top of his head, her husband was in good spirits with no fever. On Thursday,Beaverco-star Jerry Mathers asked for prayers and healing for the actor.
The actor appeared in all 234 episodes ofLeave It To Beaverand also starred in other television classics such asMy Three Sons, Dr. KildareandLassie. A few years later, Dow showed up onThe Mod Squad,Emergency!,Quincy M.E.,Knight Rider,Charles in ChargeandMurder, She Wroteand portrayed a cop on the daytime soap operaGeneral Hospital. He also directed several episodes of 1993’sBabylon 5and 1999 episodes ofCrusadeandStar Trek: Deep Space Nine.
