
Why there were no lifeguards on duty when Malcolm-Jamal Warner drowned at Costa Rica beach
The 'Cosby Show' star died on Sunday at age 54, during a family vacation in Costa Rica.
After Warner's accidental drowning, Playa Grande lifeguards claim they were 'not present' on the beach when the incident occurred due to lack of 'resources.'
Advertisement
13 Malcolm-Jamal Warner on Instagram in May.
malcolmjamalwar/Instagram
'We deeply regret the passing of Malcolm-Jamal Warner at Playa Grande. He was swept away by a strong rip current and died by drowning,' Costa Rica's volunteer lifeguard association, Caribbean Guard, said in a statement on Monday via Facebook.
'It all happened very quickly, and although there were people on the beach who entered the water to rescue him, they did not arrive in time. He was pulled from underwater without vital signs, and despite CPR maneuvers being performed on the beach, resuscitation was unsuccessful.'
Advertisement
The Guard explained that Playa Grande is well known by 'local surfers' and is one of their 'most challenging beaches.'
The statement added that there are signs placed along the beach in both Spanish and English 'warning of the danger of death due to drowning.' The Guard shared they had patrolled there 'over the past few years,' but not at the time of Warner's death.
13 Malcolm-Jamal Warner speaks on stage at the 65th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023.
Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
'Due to recent aquatic incidents in Playa Negra, we had redirected resources there and to Chiquita, another iconic beach known for its strong currents,' the statement noted.
Advertisement
The social media post included a message addressed to Costa Rica's President, Rodrigo Chaves Robles, and the government.
'From Caribbean Guard, a volunteer lifeguard association, we make an urgent appeal to the President of the Nation, the national government, the Municipality of Talamanca, and the entire Caribbean community to continue joining forces to minimize this problem, which, sadly, is on the rise ACROSS THE ENTIRE COUNTRY.'
13 Malcolm-Jamal Warner attends Variety's TV FYC Fest on June 07, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.
Variety via Getty Images
'We do everything within our reach,' the statement concluded. 'We have saved numerous lives in recent years, and if Caribbean Guard didn't exist, the number of drownings would be counted in dozens. We give everything we have to minimize the risks, but without help from the government, clear public policies, and strong support from local business owners, this will continue to happen.'
Advertisement
Warner drowned while swimming near Cocles after allegedly being caught by a high current.
The incident occurred on Sunday between 2 and 2:30 p.m. local time.
13 Malcolm Jamal-Warner.
Tim Wright / MEGA
On Monday, Costa Rican National Police told The Post that bystanders pulled Warner from the water and took him to shore.
The Costa Rica Red Cross made revival efforts, but the attempts were unsuccessful.
Warner's body was transported to the morgue at San Joaquin de Flores for an autopsy. His cause of death is listed as asphyxiation by 'submersion.'
13 Malcolm-Jamal Warner.
Danny Moloshok/Invision/AP
The Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) also confirmed the events that took place.
Advertisement
'The victim appears to have entered the sea and was apparently swept away by a current,' they told People. 'The man was rescued by bystanders and taken to shore, where he received treatment from the Costa Rican Red Cross. However, he was declared lifeless at the scene.'
Warner rose to fame playing Theodore 'Theo' Huxtable, the son of Bill Cosby's Cliff Huxtable, in 'The Cosby Show.'
13 Malcolm Jamal-Warner as Theo Huxtable.
NBCUniversal via Getty Images
The sitcom ran on NBC for eight seasons from 1984 to 1992.
Advertisement
Warner auditioned for the role of Theo on the last day of the show's nationwide search, and Cosby, 88, selected him, according to Variety.
Warner garnered a 1986 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
'The Cosby Show' also featured Phylicia Rashad (Clair Huxtable), Sabrina Le Beauf (Sondra Huxtable), Lisa Bonet (Denise Huxtable), Tempestt Bledsoe (Vanessa Huxtable) and Keshia Knight Pulliam (Rudy Huxtable).
13 Malcolm-Jamal Warner as Theodore 'Theo' Huxtable, Lisa Bonet as Denise Huxtable, Phylicia Rashad as Clair Hanks Huxtable, Tempestt Bledsoe as Vanessa Huxtable, Keshia Knight Pulliam as Rudy Huxtable, (center) Bill Cosby as Dr. Heathcliff 'Cliff' Huxtable.
NBCUniversal via Getty Images
Advertisement
In 2021, Warner spoke with The Post about the legacy of the series after Cosby's sexual assault conviction.
'I can understand why some people can't watch the show and enjoy it because of everything that's going on now,' he explained. 'But I think … there's a generation of young people who have pursued higher education or have started loving families because of the influence of that show.'
'So it's kind of like, you can't discount its impact on television culture and American culture,' added Warner.
13 Malcolm-Jamal Warner poses on arrival for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
AFP via Getty Images
Advertisement
Two months later, Cosby's sexual assault conviction was overturned.
After Warner's run on 'The Cosby Show,' he starred in the UPN sitcom 'Malcolm & Eddie' alongside Eddie Griffin from 1996 to 2000.
Warner then played Dr. Alex Reed on the BET sitcom 'Reed Between the Lines' from 2011 to 2015. He also starred as AJ Austin on Fox's 'The Resident' alongside Matt Czuchry and Emily VanCamp for 96 episodes from 2018 to 2023.
Many stars have reacted to the news of Warner's passing.
13 Malcolm-Jamal Warner.
Courtesy Everett Collection
On Monday, Cosby's rep, Andrew Wyatt, told The Post that the actor 'spoke to Phylicia Rashad earlier today and they reminisced about Malcolm.'
Wyatt added that Cosby, who just celebrated his 88th birthday, feels like 'everybody's leaving.'
The comedian told his rep, 'While I was their TV dad, I never stopped being a father to them.'
13 Malcolm-Jamal Warner as Theodore 'Theo' Huxtable.
NBCUniversal via Getty Images
Cosby also related Warner's death to losing his own son, Ennis Cosby, who was murdered in 1997 at the age of 27.
Hearing the news 'reminded him of the same call he received when his son died,' Wyatt said of Cosby.
Ennis was fatally shot during an attempted robbery while changing his flat tire on a Los Angeles freeway ramp.
13 Malcolm-Jamal Warner poses for photographers at the 12th annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.
Getty Images
Wyatt also shared the touching way Cosby kept his son's memory alive through Warner.
'He started with 'The Cosby Show,' he was a teenager,' he explained to The Post, adding that Cosby gave Warner his upright bass named after his only son in 2016, more than two decades after their long-running sitcom ended.
He passed the instrument on 'so his [Ennis'] legacy would be that he humanized the world,' Wyatt expressed, noting now that Warner's dead, 'he would humanize the world even more.'
13 Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Bill Cosby.
©NBC/Courtesy Everett Collection
The two actors also spoke recently.
'He had just done a concert in Minnesota and called Mr. Cosby and talked about it. They spoke all the time. He said 'Malcolm was changing humanity,'' Wyatt said.
Angela Bassett, who worked with Warner on both 'American Horror Story' and '9-1-1,' penned on Instagram, 'When a special soul like @malcolmjamalwar leaves us far too soon, words fail to adequately describe the unimaginable grief. Malcolm was more than a gifted actor; he was a longtime friend.'
13 Tempestt Bledsoe as Vanessa Huxtable, Malcolm-Jamal Warner as Theodore 'Theo' Huxtable, Keshia Knight Pulliam as Rudy Huxtable.
NBCUniversal via Getty Images
'He carried the weight of cultural legacy with grace, and he always made space for others to shine. His light will remain in our hearts always,' she continued. 'My prayers are with you and yours. Rest in perfect peace until we meet again.'
VanCamp, for her part, shared a throwback photo of the pair on set of 'The Resident.'
'I'm not sure I have the words to express what a gift it was to know you and to work with you. Your thunderous laugh, the bear hugs, our chats about love, family and life. A true family man with so much integrity and an endlessly generous spirit. You walked the walk my friend,' the 'Revenge' alum wrote. 'Sending all my love to your beautiful family and all of those who knew you and were close to you. Beyond heartbroken.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Wax lyrical: Taylor Swift gets lucky 13 Madame Tussauds statues
US pop megastar Taylor Swift will be honoured with 13 waxworks of her at Madame Tussauds venues around the globe, the museum said on Wednesday. In honour of Swift's lucky number, 13 of the waxwork museum's 22 branches will each receive a statue of the "Love Story" and "Blank Space" singer, in what it called the "most ambitious project" of its 250-year history. The statues were inspired by some of the 35-year-old songwriting sensation's looks from her record-shattering "Eras Tour" from 2023 to 2024. With 149 shows across the world over nearly two years, the tour raked in $2 billion, making it the most lucrative in music history to date. More than 40 artists worked for more than a year on the statues of Swift, one of the most acclaimed artists of her generation with 14 Grammy Awards. "This is the most ambitious project in Madame Tussauds' 250-year history, which only feels right to reflect the stratospheric status of Taylor Swift," said Danielle Cullen, the museum's senior figure stylist. UK-based Swifties are well served, with one waxwork slated for London and another for the northern seaside resort town of Blackpool. Another 10 will find a permanent home at the branches of Madame Tussauds in Amsterdam, Berlin, Budapest, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Las Vegas, Nashville, New York, Orlando and Sydney. The thirteenth statue, which will travel around the remaining museums, will begin its worldwide walkabout with a residency at Madame Tussauds Shanghai. adm/sbk/rlp


New York Post
25 minutes ago
- New York Post
Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham tease long-lost debut album
Cue 'Silver Springs.' Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham are officially reuniting — sort of — after sparking reunion rumors on social media. The musicians have revealed that their 1973 album 'Buckingham Nicks' is getting reissued for the digital age. 11 The album cover for 'Buckingham Nicks.' AP The record will be re-released for the first time in the US since the early 1980s. On Wednesday, Nicks, 77, and Buckingham, 75, released a joint Instagram video of a billboard advertising the album on Sunset Strip in Los Angeles, Calif. 11 Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham at the 1998 Grammy Awards. WireImage 'Buckingham Nicks is available for pre-order now, out September 19th. ✨ 'Crying In The Night' is yours now. Listen at the link in bio,' they captioned the post. Fans flipped out over the news, considering Nicks and Buckingham had been at odds in recent years. 'Finally!!! I LOVE Long Distance Winner!!! This is awesome news!!' one person wrote. 11 Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, Christine McVie, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac. Michael Ochs Archives 'YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAS! PRAISE THE MUSIC GODS,' a second added. Last week, Nicks and Buckingham posted coordinated Instagram posts that sent social media users into a frenzy. The pair began following each other on the app before Nicks posted a handwritten lyric from 'Frozen Love,' a love song off of 'Buckingham Nicks.' 11 Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham perform at The Staples Center on July 3, 2013. Getty Images The image read, 'And if you go forward …' Shortly after, Buckingham completed the lyric with his own handwritten message that read, 'I'll meet you there.' The duo first met as high school students near Palo Alto, Calif., in the 1960s. Buckingham was in his rock band Fritz, and asked Nicks to join as their lead singer. 11 Mick Fleetwood, Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac perform. Getty Images After leaving the group, they launched their own band, Buckingham Nicks. Their album flopped, however, and they were dropped from their contract at Polydor Records. Soon after, they moved to Los Angeles. 11 Stevie Nicks (L) and Lindsey Buckingham of music group Fleetwood Mac accept the MusiCares Person of the Year award onstage in 2018. Getty Images for NARAS In 1974, Nicks and Buckingham were invited to join Fleetwood Mac but split romantically while recording the band's 1977 album, 'Rumours.' Both exes remained in Fleetwood Mac until Buckingham was fired following a behind-the-scenes altercation in 2018. Buckingham and Nicks weren't the only ones in the band with relationship woes. Around the same time as their late '70s breakup, Fleetwood Mac's John McVie and Christine McVie ended their marriage. 11 Fleetwood Mac in Brussels, Belgium in 1980. Getty Images Nicks went on to write 'Dreams,' while Buckingham penned 'Go Your Own Way' on the group's 'Rumours' album. Over the years, the former bandmates have thrown jabs at one another. In 1997, Nicks told Rolling Stone that she 'resented' the lyrics that Buckingham wrote in 'Go Your Own Way,' with lines insinuating the singer was 'packing up, shacking up' with different men after their breakup. 11 Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks at NBC Studios on April 18, 2003. Getty Images 'He knew it wasn't true. It was just an angry thing that he said. Every time those words would come onstage, I wanted to go over and kill him,' explained the vocalist. 'He knew it, so he really pushed my buttons through that. It was like, 'I'll make you suffer for leaving me.'' By 2018, things came to a head when Fleetwood Mac was honored at that year's MusiCares benefit gala. An argument ensued, ending with Buckingham being fired from the band. 11 Stevie Nicks in 1981. Chris Walter He was replaced by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell, as well as Neil Finn. Buckingham and Nicks allegedly didn't talk again until the celebration of life for McVie. The keyboardist died in 2022 at age 79. 'The only time I've spoken to Lindsey was there, for about three minutes,' the Grammy winner told Rolling Stone in 2024. 'I dealt with Lindsey for as long as I could. You could not say that I did not give him more than 300 million chances.' 11 Fleetwood Mac performs. ullstein bild via Getty Images 11 Stevie Nicks at Casa Cipriani in 2024. Getty Images for The Michael J. Fox Foundation In March, Buckingham reunited with another Fleetwood Mac member, Mick Fleetwood. The guitarist sat in on studio sessions with the band's namesake drummer, 78, who is working on a new solo album. Swedish producer Carl Falk spoke about the mini reunion on Threads. 'Slightly unreal moment to sit with Lindsey Buckingham and Mick Fleetwood to play Lindsey the album we have been working on,' he wrote. 'And to see his genuine happiness for Mick to finally do his own album and offering to play guitar and to sing on it. Can't wait to finish this one.'


USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
How to watch 'The Sandman' Season 2: Premiere date, time, cast
More episodes of Season two of "The Sandman" are releasing on Netflix, with a series finale wrapping up the fantasy horror TV show at the end of July. The show revolves around a character named Morpheus, also known as the dream, played by Tom Sturridge. Morpheus works to restore his mystical realm known as the Dreaming after being imprisoned for a century. Once freed, the dream tries to repair his life by regaining his magical tools, which takes him to hell to visit Lucifer, played by Gwendoline Christie and in search of a deranged human, played by David Thewlis. In 2025, Netflix announced that 'The Sandman' would end after its second season. Showrunner Allan Heinberg told Variety in a statement that the show ending was a creative decision. However, the cancelation was also in light of sexual assault allegations against the creator Neil Gaiman, as previously reported by USA TODAY. "'The Sandman' series has always been focused exclusively on Dream's story, and back in 2022, when we looked at the remaining Dream material from the comics, we knew we only had enough story for one more season," Heinberg said to Variety. What time does The Sandman season 2 premiere? The first six episodes of The Sandman Season 2 were released on July 3. Five more episodes will be released on Thursday, July 24 at 3 a.m. ET / 12 a.m. PT. The series finale will be available to stream on Thursday, July 31. Where to watch season 2 of The Sandman The new episodes of The Sandman will air on Netflix. The Sandman season 2 cast Watch The Sandman season 2 trailer CONTRIBUTING: Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY