American actor Ken Osmond - best known as the troublemaker Eddie Haskell on the television comedy 'Leave It to Beaver' - died on Monday morning at the age of 76. Reports say Osmond died at his Los Angeles home, surrounded by family members with the cause of his death being unknown.
Osmond's son Eric said in a statement, "He was an incredibly kind and wonderful father. He had his family gathered around him when he passed. He was loved and will be very missed.” Osmond's former partner at the Los Angeles Police Department, Henry Lane also confirmed the same and said the actor had suffered from respiratory issues.
Osmond began acting in films as a child artiste. He has also guest-starred on television series, including 'Lassie,' 'The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet,' 'Wagon Train,' 'Fury' and 'The Loretta Young Show.'
His prominent role was in 'Leave It to Beaver' from 1957 to 1963. His portrayal as the two-faced teenage scoundrel, Haskell, was only supposed to be a guest appearance, but the instant success that he was in the role meant that he became a regular, appearing in nearly 100 of the show's 234 episodes.
Even after the series ended, he continued working as an actor, appearing on 'Petticoat Junction,' 'The Munsters' and a return appearance on 'Lassie.' He also featured in films 'C'mon, Let's Live a Little' and 'With Six You Get Eggroll,' but more often than not found himself typecast as Eddie Haskell.