Editor’s Note: The first versions of this story said Tony Dow had died, citing a family post on his official Facebook page that has since been deleted.
Actor Tony Dow, best known as older brother Wally Cleaver on the 1950s sitcom “Leave it to Beaver,” is living out his “final hours” in home hospice care, family members say.
Dow, who is 77, revealed his he was diagnosed with cancer in May.
His official Facebook page erroneously announced his death on Monday, including statements from family members. That post was deleted Monday before his son, Christopher Dow, told Fox News Digital that his father was alive but in his “last hours,” which his wife Lauren Dow confirmed to CBS News.
Besides “Leave it to Beaver,” which ran from 1957 to 1963, Dow appeared in many other TV series, including “Adam-12,” “My Three Sons,” “Mod Squad,” “Emergency!,” “The Love Boat,” “Murder, She Wrote” and “Knight Rider.”
Dow reprised his role of Wally Cleaver in the Disney Channel’s 1980s sequel series, “The New Leave It to Beaver” and wrote a 1986 episode.
In 1989, he made his directorial debut with an episode of “The New Lassie,” a revival of another 1950s favorite that aired in syndication. He went on to helm episodes of “Get a Life,” “Harry and the Hendersons,” “Coach” and “Babylon 5.” He also served as the visual effects supervisor for “Babylon 5.”
