Tony Dow, an actor and director best known for his role of Wally Cleaver in the iconic series Leave It to Beaver is confirmed to be alive. The statement was made by the family, although he was previously declared dead by his management team on Tuesday.
Dow's official Facebook page posted a post announcing that Tony Dow had died this morning.
“Passing of our beloved Tony this morning.” Write in the post.
But now the post has been removed from the Facebook page.
The actor's son Christopher Dow told NBC News via text message the previous Thursday afternoon that his father was still in treatment and that he only had a few hours left.
A further Facebook post to the official Dow page from its management team attributed the confusion to the miscommunication.
Dow was born in Hollywood, California. He was a Junior Olympic diving champion but didn't have much showbiz experience when he teamed up with a friend and ended up auditioning to win the role of Wally.
"Leave It to Beaver" premiered in 1957 and ran until 1963.. The popular black-and-white sitcom centers on the typical ideal family of the time, following the adventures of naughty young Beaver, his brother Wally, their devious friend Eddie Haskell. and their long-suffering but understanding parents, played by Barbara Billingsley and Hugh Beaumont.
Dow returned in the 1980s for the TV film "Still the Beaver" and the series "The New Leave It to Beaver," for which he also directed five episodes and wrote one.
Tony Dow lived battling depression in his 20s, made the “Beating the Blues” video to help others, and later survived two bouts of cancer. He also became a sculptor and started a construction company.