‘Leave It to Beaver’ Star Tony Dow’s Death Announced in Error
UPDATE:
Tony Dow has died at the age of 77. Dow’s son, Christopher, informed the actor’s management that Dow died on the morning of Wednesday, July 27 while in hospice care and surrounded by his family. The late star’s managers announced the news on his official Facebook page.
ORIGINAL STORY:
Leave It to Beaver star Tony Dow is still alive and fighting after it was mistakenly reported that the actor had died on Tuesday, July 26, 2022.
Dow’s son and management team cleared up the confusion on Tuesday night, attributing the error to the distraught state of Dow’s wife. “This is a difficult time,” Dow’s son Christopher Dow wrote on the actor’s Facebook page. “Dad is at home, under hospice care, and in his last hours. My wife and I are by his side along with many friends that have visited. He has a fighting heart.”
In a note marked “URGENT UPDATE” on the Facebook page, Dow’s representatives Frank Bilotta and Renee James stated, “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. As we are sure you can understand, this has been a very trying time for her.”
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. 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.”
Born on April 13, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, Dow’s show business career began after he landed the role of Wally Cleaver in Leave It to Beaver, despite having almost no acting experience. He starred in the popular sitcom from 1957 until the series ended in 1963. Dow went on to appear in TV series such as Never Too Young, Lassie, The New Leave It to Beaver, The Love Boat, Diagnosis Murder, Knight Rider, and many more.
Dow made his debut as a director in 1989 with an episode of The New Lassie, followed by episodes of Get a Life, Harry and the Hendersons, and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He also provided visual effects for Babylon 5 and the Fox television movie Doctor Who. His most recent on-screen appearance came in the 2003 film Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star.
