On Tuesday (July 26th), a statement was released on Tony Dow‘s official Facebook page that said the Leave It to Beaver actor had died. Many news outlets published obituaries for Dow, but the statement was later rescinded.
Dow’s management team said that his wife, Lauren Shulkind, believed he had passed away—but it turned out that wasn’t the case. “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,” an updated announcement said.
The statement continued, “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.” Dow’s son also told Fox News that he was still alive and was receiving hospice care in his “last hours.”