“Although this is a very sad day, I have comfort and peace that he is in a better place. He was the best dad anyone could ask for. He was my coach, my mentor, my voice of reason, my best friend, my best man and my hero,” Christopher Dow said, according to a statement Bilotta shared on Tony Dow’s official Facebook page.
The cause of death was not released, but Dow revealed in May that he had been diagnosed with cancer. Dow rose to stardom at the age of 12 when he was cast in the comedy sitcom “Leave It to Beaver.” In the role, Dow helped create the archetype of a suburban nuclear family and became a household name to millions of viewers. The show ran from 1957 to 1963. In a January interview with CBS Sunday Morning, Dow recalled learning over hamburgers and malt that he was offered the role after auditioning on a whim. “That’s where my life went,” he said. Wally Cleaver, the straight-arrow teenage son, star athlete and Boy Scout, bonded inextricably with Dow, who said he struggled to stand on his own. “It’s sad to be famous at the age of 12 or something, and then you grow up and become a real person and nothing has happened for you,” he told CBS. Dow, who said he experienced undiagnosed depression from age 20 to age 40, has spoken out about his mental health challenges for decades, long before it was common for celebrities to reveal that information publicly. In 1993, he was the featured speaker at a conference for the National Depressive and Manic Depressive Association. “I realize there’s a perceived irony about it,” he told the Baltimore Sun of his depression in 1993. “You know, the fact that I was on a television program that epitomized the supposed ideal world of the ’50s, and lo and behold . I suffer from depression, but I’m just one of millions.” Dow told CBS that once he accepted his diagnosis and began treatment, he found hope. He channeled that hope into art as well, sculpting elaborate pieces in his home studio. “I think people have to take the leap of faith that they can feel better,” she said. Dow continued to work in Hollywood, starring in television series and even reprising his role on “The New Leave It to Beaver” in the 1980s. He also directed episodes of series such as “Harry and the Hendersons,” “Coach” and ” Star Trek: Deep Space Nine”. Jerry Mathers, who starred alongside Dow as Beaver on their hit sitcom, told fans earlier this month that he had been in touch with Dow, whose managers said he was “in and out of the hospital with various complications and treatments.” .
