‘Leave It to Beaver’ star Tony Dow dead at 77

nypost.com:

announced the news of his passing on his official Facebook page Tuesday morning.“It is with an extremely heavy heart that we share with you the passing of our beloved Tony this morning,” the post read.“Tony was a beautiful soul — kind, compassionate, funny and humble.

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.”He is survived by his wife, Lauren, and two children.A cause of death was not immediately given.The actor, who played Wally Cleaver on the iconic ’50s sitcom, announced he was diagnosed with cancer on May 5.His wife shared the news and thanked fans for their prayers, but didn’t disclose the type of cancer Dow was battling, according to TMZ.The Hollywood native’s health issues first surfaced in August 2021 when he was briefly hospitalized with pneumonia.“Tony’s spirit is positive,” Lauren wrote on Facebook last year. “He gets his daily exercise by walking the corridors with his nurse.