According to the New York Times, Dow is still alive despite what his representatives told Facebook. After verifying the death with Dow's camp, Variety published the obituary alongside the Facebook post. Variety has contacted his representatives again to get more information.
His son Christopher Dow updated the family's Facebook status with, "This is a difficult time. As a hospice patient, Dad is at home in his final hours. My wife and I have been staying with him, and he has had a lot of visitors. "He's got a lot of fight in him," they said.
Preceding this, Tony Dow, an actor and director best known for his role as Wally Cleaver, the stalwart older brother of Jerry Mathers' Beaver in the classic television series "Leave It to Beaver," passed away. He was 77.
The news of his death was announced on his official Facebook page on Tuesday morning. We tell you with a broken heart that our dear Tony passed away this morning. "Tony was a beautiful soul — kind, compassionate, funny, and humble," his management team wrote.
Dow and his wife Lauren made the news public in May that his long-suppressed cancer had returned.
Mathers reflected on Dow on Facebook, writing, "He was not only my brother on TV, but in many ways in life. The loss of Tony has left a chasm in my heart that can never be filled. He was the most wonderful, generous, gentle, loving, sincere, and modest man, and it was a privilege to spend the past 65 years making memories with him.
Dow's mother was an early stunt woman and Clara Bow's double, so the family moved to Hollywood when he was young. He had won the Junior Olympics diving competition, but he had no prior experience in the entertainment industry when he went to an audition with a friend and ended up landing the role of Wally. The original airing of Leave It to Beaver began in 1957 and continued until 1963. Beaver, his practical brother Wally, their devious friend Eddie Haskell, and their long-suffering but understanding parents, played by Barbara Billingsley and Hugh Beaumont, were the stars of a popular black-and-white sitcom set in the idealized family of the time.
Bob Mosher and Joe Connelly, the show's creators, based the characters on their own children, including such traits as Wally's obsessive hair-combing, which they saw in themselves as teenagers. Wally was getting ready for college as the show ended, while Beaver was getting ready for high school.
The 1980s saw Dow's return to the role of Beaver for the TV movie Still the Beaver and the TV series The New Leave It to Beaver, for which he directed five episodes and wrote one.
He continued acting while venturing into other creative fields; his directing credits include episodes of "Harry and the Hendersons," "Coach," "Babylon 5," "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids," and "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine."
Following his success on "Leave It to Beaver," Dow went on to star in a number of other popular television shows, such as "General Hospital," "Mr. Novak," "Never Too Young," "Lassie," "Love, American Style," "Square Pegs," and "The Love Boat," in which he portrayed himself. In addition to his role in John Landis's skit comedy feature "The Kentucky Fried Movie," Dickie Roberts also played himself in the 2003 comedy "Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star," which featured cameos from dozens of former young actors.
Dow overcame depression in his twenties, inspiring him to create the self-help video "Beating the Blues," and went on to beat cancer twice. At the same time, he established a construction business and trained as a sculptor.
His family includes his wife Lauren and their two kids.
