Contrary to a statement from his reps announcing his death, Leave It to Beaver star Tony Dow was still alive in hospice care on Tuesday.
A post on his Facebook page signed by reps Frank Bilotta and Renee James said that Dow, who played Wally Cleaver on the beloved sitcom and has been in a battle with cancer, had died Tuesday morning, but that post has since been deleted. Calls to his manager, his wife and his son by The Hollywood Reporter have gone unreturned.
TMZ said it spoke to his manager who said “Tony’s wife, Lauren, who is very distraught, believed her husband was dead — and told his management.” Fox News spoke to his son, Chris, who said his father “is still alive, but in his last hours; under hospice care.”
A new Facebook note posted at 1:35 p.m. PT reads:
“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. 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.”
