How Jerry Mathers Became The Last Surviving Member Of Leave It To Beaver's Cleaver Family

Trigger warning: This article mentions depression and suicide.

"Leave It to Beaver" is one of the most beloved sitcoms of the late '50s. While the show arguably didn't get its flowers during its original run, it became a classic following syndication and reruns. A huge testament to the show's popularity is that it got a revival series, "The New Leave It to Beaver," in the '80s, over two decades after finishing its original six-season run in 1963. 

To this day, the show's fans often revisit old episodes and wonder how the cast is faring. However, they may be saddened to know that the actors playing the lead roles of the Cleaver family have all passed away, save for Jerry Mathers, whom fans know as Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver. Many of Mathers' castmates died due to health issues they didn't initially share with the public. In fact, several "Leave It to Beaver" cast members spent their later years away from the spotlight, either transitioning to other careers due to typecasting or retiring altogether. 

While the cast members may have gone their separate ways in their later years, they apparently remained a part of each other's lives in smaller ways. In a June 2025 People interview, Mathers shared that before Barbara Billingsley's passing — she played his on-screen mom, June Cleaver — she would occasionally reach out to him for help with charity work she had taken on but felt too ill to follow through on. Needless to say, Mathers didn't hesitate to help. Mathers' wife also shared that he remained friendly with the actor who played his on-screen brother, Tony Dow, prior to his passing. As for Mathers himself, he had to make a conscious lifestyle shift to become the last surviving member of the Beaver family.  

In a May 2018 interview with Zoomer, Jerry Mathers shared that he once ate upwards of five large meals every day because he owned a catering company. It wasn't long before Mathers learned what happens to a person's body when they overeat regularly, as he gained 60 pounds. The former child actor was motivated to turn his life around in 1997, when a doctor informed him that he had type 2 diabetes, which could lead to his death in the next three to five years if left untreated. 

In a YouTube video for the American Academy of Neurology, Mathers revealed that he had been experiencing "shooting pains" in his feet before his diagnosis. At the time, he didn't realize he had neuropathy due to diabetes and chalked his pains up to a symptom of being overweight. Additionally, Mathers admitted that he was unaware of what diabetes actually entailed, and mistakenly thought that it was caused by eating excessive amounts of sugary food. However, once he learned that being overweight increases the risk of diabetes, he started making diet and lifestyle changes while taking medication. 

For his diet, he practiced portion control and ate more nutrient-dense food. While there were admittedly times he didn't strictly follow his diet, he learned that it was best to be open about his missteps with his doctor rather than hiding them. In July 2017, Mathers told Fox News that he stayed active by walking 6 to 8 miles every day. Thanks to all his efforts, Mathers lost 55 pounds and got his diabetes under control.

A May 2022 statement posted to Tony Dow's Facebook page revealed that the actor, who played Wally Cleaver, had been diagnosed with liver cancer. "He is approaching this reality so bravely, but it is truly heartbreaking," the statement read. A few weeks later, Dow shared a Facebook post explaining that immunotherapy had enabled him to be mobile without assistance and helped him feel better every day. Then, members of Dow's management provided a Facebook update in July 2022, writing, "Tony has been in and out of the hospital with various complications and treatments. He and Lauren have been trying to maintain a positive spirit, though at times this proves difficult." 

A few days later, a post shared to Dow's Facebook page confirmed that he had passed away at the age of 77. Throughout his life, the sitcom star remained open about his mental health struggles. According to The Tampa Bay Times, in September 1992, Dow spoke to a congressional caucus on biomedical research to encourage them to devote a larger portion of their funds to mental health research. During the meeting, he candidly discussed his experiences with depression in his early 20s, which led him to consider suicide. 

Likewise, in a January 2022 CBS News interview, Dow confessed that he was angry upon realizing that Wally Cleaver, a role he played as a teenager, would follow him for the rest of his life and hinder job opportunities. Eventually, his anger turned into depression, which he was able to handle with medication, therapy, and his passion for creating bronze sculptures.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org

In May 2020, Ken Osmond, who played Eddie Haskell on the '50s sitcom, passed away at the age of 76. Documents obtained by TMZ confirmed that he had died of a cardiopulmonary arrest and indicated that Osmond had numerous underlying health issues, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, anemia, atrial fibrillation, congestive heart failure, hypertension, pneumonia, and depression. For the most part, the former child actor kept his health issues private, but his struggles with depression came to light when he fought a dispute in the '80s. 

In a January 2015 Parade interview, Osmond confessed that finding work after "Leave It to Beaver" was a struggle due to typecasting. So, after making a handful of smaller TV appearances after the sitcom's conclusion, Osmond completely changed his career and became a Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officer. According to The Los Angeles Times, Osmond was involved in two shooting incidents during his time with the LAPD. In the first incident, a gunman aimed at his chest, but the bullet didn't get through, thanks to his bulletproof vest. Only a month after that, a bullet reportedly nearly grazed Osmond's hair. 

While he fought a dispute about a stress-related disability pension, a psychiatrist informed the Pension Board that Osmond had depression and other trauma-related symptoms when he returned to police work after the shootings. Due to the depression, he reportedly spent days in solitude without communicating with his wife or kids. After some back and forth, the disability pension was granted. Then, after retiring from the LAPD, Osmond returned to acting and continued picking up smaller parts over the following decades.

If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.

In October 2010, Barbara Billingsley, who played June Cleaver on the popular sitcom, passed away at the age of 94. A family spokesperson explained that the beloved TV mom had been ill for the past couple of years and had also been diagnosed with rheumatoid disease, a chronic condition that occurs when the immune system attacks the tissue lining the joints. The autoimmune disease can also affect numerous other parts of the body, including the lungs, heart, eyes, and skin. 

After news of her death broke, her on-screen son, Jerry Mathers, paid her tribute in a statement (via CNN), which read: "Barbara was a patient advisor and teacher. She helped me along this challenging journey through life by showing me the importance of manners, and respect for others." Her other on-screen son, Tony Dow, spoke to CNN about the joy Billingsley felt when recognized as "America's mom." To earn that title, Billingsley felt she had to give up a vice. 

During an appearance on NPR's "All Things Considered," Mathers said his on-screen mother was a heavy smoker when she joined the show's cast. However, a few weeks after she started working on the show, she came to a realization, which Mathers recalled: "'You know what? I don't think the ideal American mom should smoke.'" And so, she gave up smoking. In addition to potentially helping her public image, giving up smoking could have also brought health benefits. In fact, research over time has shown that practicing smoking cessation is one of the many habits that can help you live decades longer.

In May 1982, Hugh Beaumont, who played Ward Cleaver, the patriarch of the beloved on-screen family, passed away at the age of 72. According to UPI, he apparently had a heart attack while visiting his son in Munich. Beaumont's sister, Gloria Bussman, shared that he had passed away before a doctor could examine him. 

After "Leave It to Beaver" ended, Beaumont continued making smaller appearances on TV. However, he quietly retired from acting a few years after having a stroke, which reportedly caused partial paralysis in his face. After his stroke, he put his talent toward directing community theater groups. Still, he seemed willing to briefly revisit acting for old times' sake, telling St. Cloud Times of Minnesota (via MeTV) in 1981, "I may do a picture, a reunion of the Beaver family with the original cast." Sadly, Beaumont had passed away by the time the filming for "Still the Beaver," the TV movie reunion that aired in 1983, began. 

More than four decades after Beaumont's passing, his castmates continued remembering him fondly. In June 2025, his on-screen son, Jerry Mathers, gushed about him to People, saying, "Hugh Beaumont was basically a very nice man, but he was also a minister," he continued. "So he kept everybody pretty much on the straight and narrow." Mathers felt Beaumont was the reason the cast and crew enjoyed themselves without going overboard with drinking and coming to work hungover the next day. Considering what happens to your body when you have a hangover, including dehydration and inflammation, it's safe to say that the on-screen father saved the cast the pains of working while having a hangover.