'Leave it to Beaver' Star 'Eddie Haskell' Dead

'Leave It To Beaver' star Ken Osmond, who was best known as the mischievous Eddie Haskell on the hit comedy series, has died at age 76.

The actor, who later joined the police force, was at his Los Angeles home surrounded by family when he passed away on Monday. Details surrounding his death are vague but his former partner at the Los Angeles Police Department, Henry Lane, said the actor had suffered from respiratory issues, reported Variety.

Osmond's son, Eric, confirmed his father's death in a statement.

"He was an incredibly kind and wonderful father," Eric said. "He had his family gathered around him when he passed. He was loved and will be very missed."

Osmond's acting career kicked off at age nine, when he starred in the film "So Big." He went on to appear in various other films and TV series including 'Good Morning Miss Dove,' 'Lassie' and 'Fury' but his most memorable role was as the trouble-making Eddie Haskell in 'Leave It to Beaver,' which aired from 1957 to 1963. The show starred Jerry Mathers as The Beaver.

In 1970, Osmond joined the LAPD, but ten years later chose to retire after he was involved in a shootout and put on disability. He continued to act and went on to appear in the telefilm 'Still The Beaver' in 1983, as well as the show's revival, 'The New Leave It to Beaver' and the 1997 feature film 'Leave It to Beaver.'

Osmond continued to pursue an acting career but battled to break out of the mold of Edie Haskell. He spoke of the character in a previous interview with Chicago Tribune.

''Everyone knows an Eddie Haskell,'' he said. ''He`s the guy who you can blame things on when they go wrong. The ironic thing about 'Beaver' is that it was never a top 10 show during the original network run. It was just another family show that had enough fans to keep it on the air."

Osmond is survived by his wife, Sandra, and two sons, Christian and Eric.