‘Leave It to Beaver’ star Tony Dow still alive, wife mistakenly ‘believed’ he was dead

“Leave It to Beaver” star Tony Dow is still alive, despite a death announcement posted on his official Facebook page Tuesday morning.

Dow’s management said his wife, Lauren Shulkind, believed her husband was dead and passed that message on to his team, according to an updated Facebook post on Tuesday afternoon. She is reportedly “distraught” over the error.

“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 updated announcement read. “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.”

The original Facebook post has since been deleted.

Dow is reportedly still alive and breathing while in hospice care.

Dow’s son, Christopher, told Fox News Digital that his father is indeed alive, but under hospice care in his “last hours.”

“It is with an extremely heavy heart that we share with you the passing of our beloved Tony this morning,” the original, premature Facebook post read.

Tony Dow was reportedly still alive and breathing while in hospice care Tuesday afternoon.
AP
Lauren Shulkind
Tony Dow’s wife, Lauren Shulkind, erroneously told her husband’s management that he was dead Tuesday morning because she “believed” he was.
FilmMagic

“Tony was a beautiful soul — kind, compassionate, funny and humble,” the initial post continued. “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.”

The post — written by Frank Bilotta and Renee James, who managed the star and called themselves “dear friends” — also thanked fans for their support.

“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.”

In May, Shulkind announced that Dow’s cancer came back a month after his 77th birthday.

“He is approaching this reality so bravely, but it is truly heartbreaking,” she wrote on Facebook at the time.

Tony Dow starred in "Leave It To Beaver" for six seasons from 1957-1963.
Tony Dow starred in “Leave It to Beaver” for six seasons from 1957 to 1963.
Courtesy Everett Collection
The “Leave It to Beaver” cast poses for a photo as they reunite in Santa Monica, California, on Sept. 27, 2007, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the show.
AP

Dow starred as Wally, the older brother of Beaver (Mathers), during the “Leave It to Beaver” from 1957 to 1963 for six seasons.

He later reprised his role in the sitcom sequel, “The New Leave It to Beaver,” in 1983. The show aired for four seasons until 1989. The new series followed the Cleaver kids as adults dealing with their family issues.

This is not the first time a celebrity’s death was prematurely announced. Last year, former Bond girl Tanya Roberts’ publicist and partner mistakenly announced she had died.

The rep, Mike Pingel, said Roberts’ longtime partner, Lance O’Brien, had informed him of her passing at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. At the time, however, she was still alive, but in “dire” condition in the ICU. Roberts died the day after the blunder.

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