Tony Dow, who was most famously known as Wally Cleaver on the 70’s show ‘Leave It To Beaver’, has passed away at the age of 77. Dow died Tuesday morning according to his management team with FoxNews confirming.
“It is with an extremely heavy heart that we share with you the passing of our beloved Tony this morning.” Frank Bilotta and Renee James announced on Facebook. It appears that cancer may have been the cause of death of the actor because this past May, Dow’s wife, Lauren Shulkind, announced his cancer had returned. This was just a month after Dow celebrated his 77th birthday. She posted, “Dear friends and fans of Tony Dow, I have some very sad news to share with you,” Shulkind wrote, “Unfortunately, Tony has once again been diagnosed with cancer. He is approaching this reality so bravely, but it is truly heartbreaking.
Many more messages have been posted on Facebook remembering the actor.
“Tony was a beautiful soul – kind, compassionate, funny and humble. It was truly a joy to just be around him. His gentle voice and unpretentious manner was immediately comforting and you could not help but love him. The world has lost an amazing human being, but we are all richer for the memories that he has left us. From the warm reminiscences of Wally Cleaver to those of us fortunate enough to know him personally – thank you Tony. And thank you for the reflections of a simpler time, the laughter, the friendship and for the feeling that you were a big brother to us all. We will miss you.”
Dow starred alongside Jerry Mathers, Barbara Billingsley, Hugh Beaumont and Ken Osmond in “Leave it to Beaver” during his childhood. The show originally ran for six seasons on CBS before switching to ABC.
Our prayers go out to his friends and family.
