Tony Dow's Death is Reminiscent of Tanya Roberts' Passing

Actor Tony Dow, best known for his portrayal of Wally Cleaver, on the 1950's and 1960's sitcom Leave It to Beaver, died today of cancer. He was 77.

Dow's death had actually been announced yesterday only for his publicists to later say he was in hospice care:

A post on his Facebook page signed by reps Frank Bilotta and Renee James said that Dow, who played Wally Cleaver on the beloved sitcom and has been in a battle with cancer, had died Tuesday morning, but that post has since been deleted. Calls to his manager, his wife and his son by The Hollywood Reporter have gone unreturned.

TMZ said it spoke to his manager who said “Tony’s wife, Lauren, who is very distraught, believed her husband was dead — and told his management.” Fox News spoke to his son, Chris, who said his father “is still alive, but in his last hours; under hospice care.” 

A new Facebook note posted at 1:35 p.m. PT reads:

“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. 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 circumstances surrounding Dow's passing remind me of what happened with actress Tanya Roberts in January 2021. First, she was dead. Then she wasn't dead after all. Finally, she died. Roberts' boyfriend claimed she died in his arms without telling anyone until he talked to the media and then got a call from the ICU that she was alive after all before passing the following day. 

At the risk of being too hard on Dow's widow, I don't understand how a mistake like this could happen. Yes, I understand that a person who is in a distressed state doesn't always think clearly, but other family members were present. Either you're dead or you're alive. Should the day come when a member of my immediate family passes away (and assuming I'm present) I would like independent medical verification of that fact before telling people of a death in the family and not cause undue alarm. R.I.P.