Jerry Mathers, who famously played The Beaver in “Leave It to Beaver,” is mourning the loss of his co-star.
Ken Osmond, who was best known for his role as Eddie Haskell in the beloved series, passed away at his Los Angeles home on Monday at age 76, Variety reported. No other details about his death are currently known.
"Ken Osmond has been my lifelong friend and someone who I knew I could always go to for advice and good counsel,” Mathers told Fox News on Monday.
“I have always said that he was the best actor on our show because his real-life personality was so opposite of the character he so brilliantly portrayed,” the 71-year-old continued. “I will greatly miss him along with his countless fans all over the world."
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Jerry Mathers (left) and Ken Osmond in 'Leave It to Beaver,' circa 1957. (Photo by Walt Disney Television via Getty Images Photo Archives/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images)
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In a statement sent to Fox News, Osmond’s son Eric described the actor as “an incredibly kind and wonderful father.”
“He had his family gathered around him when he passed,” Eric said. “He was loved and will be very missed.”
In 2017, Mathers told Fox News he was still in touch with his TV family.
“We’ve had reunions,” he said at the time. “It’s probably more like how you are with people you went to school with. If anything important happens in their lives or with their grandchildren, because we all have grandchildren now, we reach out. And when someone marries. And sadly, when someone passes. Whoever finds out first calls the rest of us.”
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Ken Osmond landed his first speaking role at age 9. (Photo by Walt Disney Television via Getty Images Photo Archives/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images)
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Osmond embarked on his career with his first speaking role at age 9 in the 1953 film “So Big,” Variety shared.
He went on to appear in "Good Morning Miss Dove," Everything But the Truth," "The Loretta Young Show," "The Walter Winchell File," "Fury," "Lassie," and "Wagon Train," among others.
The actor starred in "Leave It to Beaver" from 1957 to 1963. Osmond's part as the two-faced teenage scoundrel, Haskell, was only supposed to be a one-off guest appearance, however, he did so well in his portrayal -- and the show's producers and its audience found him so memorable -- that he became a regular, appearing in nearly 100 of the show's 234 episodes.
Following the series' end, he reprised his role for the 1983 TV movie "Still the Beaver," as well as the revival "The New Leave it to Beaver," which ran from 1983 to 1989. According to Variety, his two real-life sons, Eric and Christian, played his sons in the '80s series. And in 1997, Osmond portrayed Haskell one final time in the film "Leave It to Beaver."
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This Dec. 10, 1982, file photo shows members of the original cast of the 'Leave It to Beaver.' From left, Ken Osmond, Tony Dow, Barbara Billingsley and Jerry Mathers during the filming of their TV special, 'Still The Beaver,' in Los Angeles. Osmond, who played the two-faced teenage scoundrel Eddie Haskell on TV’s 'Leave it to Beaver,' has died. Osmond's family says he died Monday, May 18, 2020, in Los Angeles. He was 76. (Wally Fong/AP)
In 1970, Osmond joined the Los Angeles Police Department, according to the outlet. Ten years later, he was reportedly shot during a chase but was saved by his bulletproof vest. He retired in 1988.
According to Variety, Osmond is survived by his wife, Sandra, and his sons, Christian and Eric.
Fox News’ Mariah Haas and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
