Tony Dow

Tony Dow, who played Wally Cleaver to Jerry Mathers' Beaver in the iconic series "Leave It to Beaver," has died.

Dow battled depression in his 20s, making the self-help video “Beating the Blues” to help others, and later survived two bouts of cancer. He also played himself in the 2003 comedy “Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star,” which featured cameos of dozens of former young actors, and appeared in the John Landis skit comedy feature “The Kentucky Fried Movie.” The popular black-and-white sitcom, centered around the typical idealized family of the time, followed the adventures of mischievous young Beaver, his practical brother Wally, their devious friend Eddie Haskell, and their long-suffering but understanding parents played by Barbara Billingsley and Hugh Beaumont.

Per his wife, Lauren Shulkind, the actor is in hospice and still breathing despite multiple reports that he died.

Roberts passed away due to a urinary tract infection that spread to her kidney, gallbladder, liver, and blood stream 24 hours after the premature announcement. “It is with an extremely heavy heart that we share with you the passing of our beloved Tony this morning,” wrote Bilotta and James in the since-deleted post. According to TMZ, Dow, who played Wally Cleaver on the 1950s-era sitcom Leave It to Beaver, is currently in hospice and still breathing.

Tony Dow, the actor and producer best known as older brother Wally Cleaver on the classic TV show 'Leave it to Beaver,' is in hospice.

“There’s a lot of remnants of wood things, trees and whatnot,” he told The Times in 2008 around the sculpture’s debut. He made his directorial debut with an episode of “The New Lassie” in 1989. He also made a career in sculpting, with one of his pieces even landing in the Louvre. Tony’s true life ability as an athlete was a perfect fit for Wally, he was cast for the part, and the rest is television history!” Speculation that the “Leave It to Beaver” star had died began after his management team wrote in a since-deleted post on Dow’s Facebook page that he had passed away at the age of 77. He is in hospice care, according to his family members. “The boy who played Wally grew about 5 inches between the time the pilot was filmed and [when] we went into production of the series,” Mathers wrote. “As most people know, Tony Dow was my big brother on Leave it to Beaver,” Mathers wrote. “The world has lost an amazing human being, but we are all richer for the memories that he has left us,” the statement continued. Dow’s death was widely reported Tuesday morning, including in The Times, until his wife and son told CBS and Fox, respectively, that Dow was still alive. Tony’s son Christopher and his daughter-in-law Melissa have also been by his side comforting him, and we will keep you posted on any future updates.” Lauren says she ‘loves and adores’ her husband of 42 years with all of her heart.”

UPDATE, with statement from Dow's management Tony Dow's management team has confirmed that the actor is still alive, attributing the earlier misinformation ...

While she did say he passed, she now understands the miscommunication and is sorry for causing a commotion in this challenging time.” Earlier, in a note marked “URGENT UPDATE” on the Facebook page, representatives Frank Bilotta and Renee James write, “This morning Tony’s wife Lauren, who was very distraught, had notified us that Tony had passed and asked that we notify all his fans. The Times, among others, has posted an Editor’s Note correcting the earlier reporting, now noting, “he is still alive.” The news about the beloved actor from the iconic sitcom made global headlines and prompted an emotional message from Dow’s Leave It To Beaver co-star and lifelong friend Jerry Mathers. “He was not only my brother on tv, but in many ways in life as well,” Mathers wrote on Facebook today. Tony was a beautiful soul – kind, compassionate, funny and humble. “This is a difficult time,” Dow’s son Christopher Dow said in a statement posted on the actor’s Facebook page.

Actor Tony Dow, best known for his role as Wally Cleaver in the 1950s American TV hit sitcom Leave It to Be...

"While she did say he passed, she now understands the miscommunication and is sorry for causing a commotion in this challenging time." Tony leaves an empty place in my heart that won't be filled," Mathers wrote. We will miss you."

Tony Dow, an actor and director best known for his role as older brother Wally Cleaver on "Leave It to Beaver," died Tuesday, according to his ...

Dow continued to work in Hollywood, taking parts in TV series and even reprising his role in "The New Leave It to Beaver" in the 1980s. In 1993, he was an honorary speaker at a convention for the National Depressive and Manic-Depressive Association. the Baltimore Sun of his depression in 1993.

Actor Tony Dow, best known for his role as Wally Cleaver in the 1950s American TV hit sitcom "Leave It to Beaver," is alive but gravely ill, his management ...

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com "We have since received a call from Tony's daughter-in-law saying that while Tony is not doing well, he has not yet passed." Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com

Earlier, there was some speculations that Tony Dow, the actor in Leave It To Beaver, had died. However, his son rubbished those reports and said that ...

Tony also appeared in the sequel to the series, The New Leave It To Beaver.Tony directed five episodes of the sequel and wrote one. The bad news is that her husband, Tony Dow, has unfortunately been diagnosed with cancer. On his Facebook account, Christopher Dow shared an update that his father is severely ill and is having a difficult time with his family. Earlier, Tony was also a patient with pneumonia and clinical depression. TonyDow’s son, said that his father is at home under hospice care and is currently in his last stage. Although his father is at home, he is under hospice care in his last hours.

Family issues statement about actor who is in hospice care.

The statement continued: “We have since received a call from Tony’s daughter-in-law saying that while Tony is not doing well, he has not yet passed. “This is a difficult time,” Dow’s son Christopher Dow wrote on the actor’s Facebook page. Dow’s son and management team cleared up the confusion on Tuesday night, attributing the error to the distraught state of Dow’s wife.

But a follow-up Facebook post from TV producer Jay Kernis included an update on Tuesday afternoon, calling the death announcement a “terrible mistake”. He said: ...

According to CNN.com and other news websites, Dow's official Facebook page reported for a brief time that he had died.

Dow’s son, Christopher, later updated family, friends, and fans, saying in a post that his father was “in his last hours”: A later post clarified the news and said that Dow, who is 77, was still alive and that family was “by his side comforting him”: “Leave It to Beaver” actor Tony Dow is in hospice care but is not dead yet, despite a post that reportedly appeared on his official Facebook page that said he had already died.

His death was confirmed by telephone by Frank Bilotta of the Bilotta Gallery which sells Dow's sculpture. The announcement came a day after news of Dow's death ...

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Tony Dow, an actor and director best known for portraying Wally Cleaver on the sitcom "Leave It to Beaver," died Wednesday morning, according to his manager ...

In 1993, he was an honorary speaker at a convention for the National Depressive and Manic-Depressive Association. Dow continued to work in Hollywood, taking parts in TV series and even reprising his role in "The New Leave It to Beaver" in the 1980s. "Although this is a very sad day, I have comfort and peace that he is in a better place.

Tony Dow, best known for his role as big brother Wally in the classic TV sitcom Leave It to Beaver has died. He was 77.

While the role of Wally defined it, he didn’t want to be in the public eye and he fame that came with it. “From the time I was 11 or 12, I was told what to do. He even tried his hand at writing and entered journalism school in the 1970s. “For the most part, members of his medical ‘team’ are compassionate, and we appreciate their efforts,” she added. I was told on the set. “Dear friends and fans of Tony Dow, I have some very sad news to share with you,” Shulkind wrote at the time. “He gets his daily exercise by walking the corridors with his nurse. “As well, we appreciate all of you for your thoughts and concerns. He gave so much to us all and was loved by so many. It was truly a joy to just be around him. “Tony was a beautiful soul — kind, compassionate, funny and humble. “We know that the world is collectively saddened by the loss of this incredible man.

Mr. Dow was the older brother on the sitcom, which became a cultural touchstone of the baby boom generation.

“Then I was on a plane once and I walked by this guy, and he looked really familiar to me. “I could never understand the reaction that Jerry or I would get from people,” Mr. Dow told the Kansas City Star in 2003. He was, by all accounts, an understated personality in a profession full of showoffs. Years later, Mathers recalled Mr. Dow was much like his “cool” character: soft-spoken, suave and possessed of gymnastics skills that he showed off by walking up and down a flight of stairs on his hands. He had modest success as a sculptor, with work appearing in galleries and international exhibitions. Many critics likened watching the “Beaver” revivals to entering a time warp. The program was a ratings smash and spawned two sitcoms, notably “The New Leave It to Beaver” on Ted Turner’s superstation, WTBS, from 1986 to 1989. Finding that options for a former child actor were limited, Mr. Dow was making a living on the dinner-theater circuit in the 1970s. “If Wally Cleaver can be depressed,” he said, “anybody can be.” “Leave It to Beaver,” airing from 1957 to 1963, depicted an idyllic suburban postwar American household and became a cultural touchstone of the baby-boom generation. For years, he lived on a boat, made sculpture and lived on income earned primarily by running a construction business. The sitcom began on CBS but appeared for most of its run on the third-place ABC network and never was a big ratings success.

Tony Dow, the actor and producer best known as older brother Wally Cleaver on the beloved 1950s sitcom 'Leave it to Beaver,' has died. He was 77.

Dow reprised the role of Wally when the Cleaver family returned to television for the reunion movie “Still Beaver” and the sequel series “The New Leave It to Beaver,” which ran from 1983 and 1989. He was the best Dad anyone could ask for,” Christopher Dow said in Wednesday’s Facebook post. The actor took a break from acting to join the California Guard in 1965. Dow was born and raised in Hollywood on April 13, 1945. Dow’s verified Facebook account clarified on Tuesday that Dow was still alive but “not doing well.” Dow died Wednesday morning, his son, Christopher Dow, confirmed in a post on the actor’s official Facebook account.

"Leave It to Beaver" actor Tony Dow has died following a recent cancer diagnosis, his family and representatives confirmed on Wednesday. He was 77.

Dow, best known for playing Wally Cleaver on the iconic television show "Leave It to Beaver," told fans in May that his cancer, which he had treated previously, had returned. "It’s amazing how the world could change with more love and respect," he wrote. Dow, born in Hollywood, California, was introduced to the entertainment industry at an early age. As you probably know I’ve had some health issues recently and I wanted to keep you up-to-date. He was my coach, my mentor, my voice of reason, my best friend, my best man in my wedding, and my hero." "He was the best Dad anyone could ask for.

Updated: Tony Dow, best known for nostalgic comedy Leave It to Beaver, has died -a day after premature media reports.

A new Facebook note posted: “This morning Tony’s wife Lauren, who was very distraught, had notified us that Tony had passed and asked that we notify all his fans. He was my coach, my mentor, my voice of reason, my best friend, my best man in my wedding, and my hero. He was always the kindest, most generous, gentle, loving, sincere, and humble man, that it was my honor and privilege to be able to share memories together with for 65 years.” “It is with an extremely heavy heart that we share with you the passing of our beloved Tony this morning. Tony leaves an empty place in my heart that won’t be filled. “We have received confirmation from Christopher, Tony’s son, that Tony passed away earlier this morning, with his loving family at his side to see him through this journey.