Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who starred as Theo on 'Cosby Show,' dies in drowning at 54: Reports
The Emmy-nominated actor drowned off the coast of Costa Rica on Sunday, July 20, ABC News and People report. Costa Rican National Police confirmed to ABC News that Warner died after being caught by a high current in the water while swimming near Cocles, a beach in Limon, Costa Rica.
ABC News reports the actor was formally identified by police. USA TODAY has reached out to Warner's reps.
In addition to eight seasons on the hit NBC sitcom as the son of Bill Cosby's Cliff Huxtable and Phylicia Rashad's Clair Huxtable, Warner was also known for his role as Malcolm McGee in the 1990s UPN sitcom "Malcolm & Eddie" and as Dr. AJ Austin on the Fox medical drama "The Resident" from 2018 to 2023.
But it is his role as the lovable but at times clueless teen son of the Huxtables that made Warner a household name in the 1980s.
Warner also served as the voice of The Producer in the PBS children's series "The Magic School Bus." He directed episodes of "The Cosby Show," "All That," "Kenan & Kel" and "Malcolm & Eddie."
The "Reed Between the Lines" actor also dabbled in music and poetry, going on to win a Grammy Award for best traditional R&B performance for the song "Jesus Children" in 2015, and receive a nomination for best spoken word poetry album for "Hiding in Plain View" in 2023.
This story is developing.
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NEWS OF THE WEEK: Malcolm-Jamal Warner dies at 54 in accidental drowning
Costa Rica's Judicial Investigation Department said on Monday, local time, that Warner drowned on Sunday afternoon on a beach on Costa Rica's Caribbean coast. The actor, who played teenager Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show, was swimming at Playa Cocles in Limon province when a current pulled him deeper into the ocean. "He was rescued by people on the beach," the department's initial report outlined. First responders from Costa Rica's Red Cross found him without vital signs. Warner's Cosby Show character was the only son among four daughters in the household of Cliff and Clair Huxtable on the NBC sitcom.
