Tony Dow update: ‘Leave it to Beaver’ star dead, son says

“Leave It to Beaver” star Tony Dow died Wednesday, his son Christopher confirmed on Facebook Wednesday afternoon.

The news follows the premature death announcement made by his management team on Tuesday.

In May, Dow and his wife, Lauren Shulkind, announced that the actor had “once again been diagnosed with cancer.” They did not specify the type of cancer.

Dow is best known for his portrayal of Wally Cleaver, the older brother of Theodore “Beaver” Cleaver, in the sitcom “Leave It to Beaver,” which ran from 1957 to 1963.

In addition to acting, Dow was also a television producer and directed episodes of “Babylon 5,” “The New Leave It to Beaver,” and “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.”

In the early 2000s, Dow dedicated himself to sculpting full time, according to officials with Bilotta Gallery, an art gallery in Florida that featured Dow’s work. In 2008, one of his abstract sculptures was shown at an exhibition in Paris’ famed Louvre Museum, the Los Angeles Times reported.

“Of course, I’m really proud of ‘Leave It to Beaver’ and my directing career in television,” Dow told the Associated Press in 2008. “Those are great accomplishments. I’m really proud of them, but this is interesting because I don’t think they know anything about that at the Louvre.”

On July 26, Dow’s management team — Frank Bilotta and Renee James — wrongfully announced his death in a Facebook post.

The post has since been removed, and Lauren Dow confirmed to CBS that her husband, who is battling a recurrence of cancer, is still breathing but in hospice care.

According to TMZ, who spoke with Dow’s manager, Lauren Dow believed that her husband had died and told his management team, prompting the erroneous Facebook post.

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1955 American actors Tony Dow (L)and Jerry Mathers pose together in a promotional portrait for the television show, 'Leave It to Beaver'. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

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