Don Grady of My Three Sons died on Wednesday. He was on the hit TV show through the 60s, and he has died at the age of 68.
Barry Livingston was a co-star on the same show and played the young brother Ernie. It was Livingston who confirmed to the press that Grady was dead. He also confirmed that Grady suffered from cancer and was receiving home hospice care in Thousand Oaks, California. It was not immediately clear where he died or why, but Livingston’s statement has made things a little clearer for those who remember watching Grady in the original broadcast or in reruns. Livingston stated that he truly looked up to Grady like a brother.
Don Grady was born Don Louis Agrati in San Diego. He managed to get on the Mickey Mouse Club at 13, singing and dancing for the show before getting onto the show My Three Sons. The show was on ABC first before it went to CBS during the 60s through to 1972. It was a popular show in which Don’s character, Fred MacMurray, was a widowed aeronautical engineer trying to raise three sons. It was one of the longest running sitcoms dealing with family, as it ran for 380 episodes. Grady was the middle brother in the earlier years of the show. He became the oldest son when Tim Considine, who played the oldest brother, left the show. Grady was also a musical talent, appearing in the show with a band called the Greefs. He also played the drums for a real life band called The Yellow Balloon, who had a 1967 hit of the same title.
Lance Grooms
