
Death of Malcolm-Jamal Warner shocks fans: ‘We saw ourselves in him'
And Malcolm-Jamal Warner's Theo Huxtable was the character generation X most related to. Fans took quickly to social media on Monday as news of Warner's accidental drowning in Costa Rica spread.
'It's like losing one of us,' said Harriet Cammock, a 58-year-old Detroit author and speaker. 'This is the thing with television. When you're watching people every week on television, you think you know them and you're related to them.'
Warner was swimming Sunday afternoon at Playa Cocles in Costa Rica's Limon province when a current pulled him deeper into the Caribbean, according to that country's judicial investigation department.
First responders found him without vital signs.
Cori Murray, executive vice-president of content at Ebony Magazine, was saddened upon hearing about Warner's death. She said his Theo character mirrored the everyday Black teenager, which was rare to see on TV at the time.
While so many portrayals of young Black teenagers leaned negative, The Cosby Show, especially Theo, showed warmth, joy and relatability.
'He wasn't just a character. We saw ourselves in him,' Murray said. 'You know how Kendrick Lamar has the song 'Not Like Us'? Well, Theo was one of us. He was like us.'
Murray, who met Warner a few times, recalled his character off-screen matched the warmth he exuded on television. She called him respectful and pleasant and said he had a 'megawatt smile' that lit up the room.
'His energy stayed with you,' Murray said. 'You don't have a bad memory when it comes to Theo or Malcolm-Jamal Warner. As much as we loved the character, we also watched Malcolm grow up in real life. No scandals. No mess. Just a talented young man who matured into an upstanding, handsome adult.'
The Cosby Show was groundbreaking and a ratings giant, drawing in viewers across racial, cultural and economic backgrounds. The show ran for 197 episodes from 1984 to 1992. In 1986, Warner earned an Emmy nomination for supporting actor in a comedy.
The show starring Bill Cosby as Cliff Huxtable and Phylicia Rashad as his wife, Clair, 'made the wider society aware that there are Black people who live like white people do', said Cammock, who is Black. 'The perception that we don't live like they do was hurtful.'
Gil Robertson, co-founder and president of the African American Film Critics Association, reflected on Warner's rare path in the entertainment industry.
'There was never any scandal, no controversy,' said Robertson. 'He transitioned from a teen star to a respected adult without the baggage we often see from others in his generation. That's no small feat.'
Robertson added: 'The legacy of Theo Huxtable – and Malcolm's performance – will live on. It left an imprint that will continue to resonate in our culture for generations.'
Lynn Reasonover, 62, of Oak Lawn, Illinois, began receiving messages Monday afternoon about Warner's death. Her initial thoughts were 'Nope, didn't happen.'
'Then, I kept seeing the news flashes and friends started sending texts,' Reasonover said. 'So, it's sinking in. Makes you realize how much some celebrities help shape our memories. His work had such a huge impact. I'm feeling a personal loss because we grew up with him. It's like losing a part of our childhood.'
Reasonover saw much of her family in the Huxtables, where both parents were professionals who valued education and handled family issues with understanding and love.
'They had similar problems to what we experienced growing up,' she said. 'We could relate and that's why we laughed.'
Rasheda Williams, 46, of Detroit was about the same age as Rudy, the youngest character on The Cosby Show and Theo's little sister. Williams said she and others are mourning Warner's passing because of what they saw in the character he played.
'He's like the ideal cousin you wish you had,' Williams said. 'Hearing the news has really affected some of us. It was unexpected. He wasn't sick. That makes it even more tragic.'
'He wasn't just an actor,' she said. 'He was also an activist, a positive role model, not just for young Black men, but for young Black women as well.'
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Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Daily Mail
The Cosby Show star dead at 54: Malcolm-Jamal Warner passes away after shock 'drowning incident'
The Cosby Show alum Malcolm-Jamal Warner has tragically passed away at the age of 54, the Daily Mail can confirm. The actor died in Costa Rica on Sunday after drowning while swimming off the coast, according to local authorities who spoke with ABC News. The Costa Rican National Police reported that Warner's body was discovered near Cocles, a beach in the Limon province. He was reportedly caught by a strong current, and his official cause of death has been listed as asphyxia. Daily Mail has reached out to Warner's representatives for comment, but they have not yet responded. While the exact circumstances surrounding the incident remain unclear, experts note that some beaches in Costa Rica can pose serious risks depending on conditions. Though many areas are safe for swimming, others are known for powerful currents and rip tides that demand caution. Warner was best known for his iconic role as Theodore Huxtable, the only son of Cliff Huxtable, on the beloved NBC sitcom The Cosby Show. He appeared in all eight seasons from 1984 to 1992, earning widespread acclaim and becoming a household name. According to WedMD, Asphyxia 'happens when your body doesn't get enough oxygen to keep you from passing.' Breathing impairment, due to water inhalation, can cause the condition, which can result in unconsciousness or death. Although it is unknown what caused him to drown, the waters in Costa Rica can be dangerous, depending on the specific beach and conditions. While many beaches offer safe swimming, some have strong currents and rip tides that require caution. The actor, best known for his role as Theodore Huxtable on the beloved NBC sitcom, appeared in all eight seasons from 1984 to 1992. At the time, Warner was just a teenager, but his performance earned widespread acclaim, including a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series at the 1986 Primetime Emmy Awards. Warner is survived by his wife and young daughter, born in 2017. While he occasionally shared glimpses of his family life on social media, he chose to keep their identities private, opting not to publicly reveal their names. His character, Theo, was based on Bill Cosby's real-life son, Ennis Cosby, and was portrayed with depth and sensitivity. In the show, Theo is diagnosed with dyslexia after struggling academically during his freshman year at New York University—an arc that resonated with many viewers. Beyond The Cosby Show, Warner carved out a successful and diverse career in both comedy and drama. He starred as Malcolm McGee in the UPN sitcom Malcolm & Eddie (1996–2000) opposite Eddie Griffin, and later headlined BET's Reed Between the Lines from 2011 to 2015 as Dr. Alex Reed. His television credits also included recurring roles and guest appearances on shows like Sons of Anarchy, Jeremiah, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and Community. Warner also voiced the Producer character on the educational children's series The Magic School Bus. Prior to his breakout role, Warner, who was born in New Jersey, he attended a performing arts school in New York City. Cosby personally selected Warner to play his son. In 2023, Warner insisted he and the rest of the cast of The Cosby Show 'still very proud of' their hit series. 'We share a unique experience that keeps us lovingly bonded no matter how much time goes between seeing or hearing from each other,' he told People. 'Regardless of how some people may feel about the show now, I'm still proud of the legacy and having been a part of such an iconic show that had such a profound impact on — first and foremost, Black culture — but also American culture,' Warner explained, nodding to the rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment claims against his former onscreen dad. News of Warner's sudden death has left fans and colleagues in shock. 'That man gave us one of the greatest scenes in the history of television. I cannot even believe this. I am over here SOBBING! Rest in poetry, Malcolm Jamal Warner,' one fan wrote on X. Another tweeted: 'Rest in power to Malcolm-Jamal Warner (1970–2025), who passed away on July 21, 2025, at age 54 from an accidental drowning. Forever our Theo Huxtable, a symbol of Black excellence, grace, and artistry. Your legacy shines on.' Jamie Foxx was among the first Hollywood stars to pay tribute to Warner. 'Speechless on this one rest in power, my brother,' he wrote on Instagram, almost immediately after the news broke.


The Guardian
6 hours ago
- The Guardian
Malcolm-Jamal Warner was a TV big brother and an off-screen gentleman. He'll be forever missed
The last time I saw Malcolm-Jamal Warner was on a bittersweet night in Atlanta. This was after one of his gigs at Buteco, the east side Brazilian joint that Warner took over on the first Thursday of every month. He would magically transform it into the kind of classic Black TV hotspot that he himself might have walked on to back in the day. (Think of Natalie's, the New York Undercover hangout.) Warner's Buteco Nights had become a rallying cry among my guy friends to break away from family routines and kick back and catch up for a few hours in a house full of fellow creatives. All the while, Warner would reinterpret funk and R&B jams on the electric bass with his band, Biological Misfits. When two friends announced they were leaving Atlanta for good, this balmy night in April became a final hurrah. I didn't yet know just how final. Just when the night seemed as if it couldn't be stretched any longer, I caught Warner as he and the band were packing up at closing time. I asked about his daughter (whom I fondly remember being carried out of Buteco after a recent gig ran past her bedtime), and suddenly – as ever with Warner, always so thoughtful and intentional in his interactions – we were going deep. We joked about being older dads and the adventures and adversities that come with raising Black children in this American day and age. He was so insanely proud of the job his wife and daughter were doing in homeschool, studying ancient Egypt and other Black history. He was especially excited about an upcoming family trip to Costa Rica, because it meant he could bring the classroom to the beach. After 20 or so minutes of catching up, we bro-hugged and parted ways. I had no reason to expect I'd never see him again. I was scrolling through Twitter on Monday when I saw Warner's name trending, and I've been numb ever since learning that he died in a drowning accident on that very family trip to Costa Rica, while swimming with his daughter. Like the sudden deaths of Chadwick Boseman and Kobe Bryant, Warner's passing is a profound shock that makes absolutely no sense to me whatsoever. Here was a guy who became a household name as a teenager and somehow wasn't turned into another tragic child star, who tarried in the industry over five decades making TV, movies, music and poetry without generating negative headlines or rumors – who, on the last night I saw him, looked for all the world like a man who had it all figured out and was at peace with the final answers. For it all to end now, as he was exactly where he wanted to be in life, just feels unspeakably cruel. Warner's is no ordinary celebrity tragedy. It's the beginning of the end of an era, of a time when TV stars were still so near and dear to us. For those of us who grew up watching the Cosby Show, my original Thursday night routine, he was more than a fictive relative. As Theo Huxtable, the respectful (if mischievous) teen who overcame dyslexia on the way to an NYU psychology major and job helping kids like himself at the community center, he showcased a range of Black masculinity that was alien at the time and still a strange sight on screen today. Just the sight of his name flashing in the opening credits was like seeing a Black fist come through the screen. How could Gil Scott-Heron say the revolution would not be televised when our man was right here, in dreads and kente patterns, repping Malcolm X and Mumia Abu-Jamal in prime time? Not just on the Cosby Show, mind you, but on The Resident and 9-1-1, too. Warner's loss has hit like a death in the family and, make no mistake, his family was immense. The welter of tributes – from Beyoncé (who remembered Warner on the front page of her official website) to Kate Hudson (who recalled her time working with Warner on Fool's Gold) to Tyrese Gibson (who paid tribute to Warner in a Facebook poem) – speak not only to his long and varied career in the industry (an NPR Tiny Desk, directing credits on music videos for Whitney Houston and New Edition) but to his monumental kindness, fundamental decency and unwavering professionalism. That sense of character, a fixture on and off screen, really shined through when Bill Cosby was subsumed by sexual assault allegations during the #MeToo era. While other industry peers rushed to distance themselves from Cosby, Warner found a way to walk a line between denouncing Cosby's conduct and reasserting his gratitude to his mentor and TV dad without anyone really questioning his loyalty. Reacting to Warner's death earlier this week Cosby's spokesperson, Andrew Wyatt, likened the bombshell news to the 1997 murder of Cosby's flesh-and-blood son, Ennis – a close friend of Warner's, as it happened. 'When we talk about why the good people are taken away from us,' Warner reflected in a recent podcast interview with the media personality Melyssa Ford, 'I go: 'Maybe they're being rewarded or something.'' More than his body work – which, again, is simply staggering – Malcolm should be remembered for actually living up to the Cosby Show's lofty ideals. His Thursday Buteco nights were pretty special too, a natural landing spot for other Black Hollywood icons who happened to be passing through town. But the real privilege wasn't watching Danny Glover or another star drop by to pay respect. It was sharing in some good, clean fun with a room full of people – a not insignificant number of them Black men who took to their responsibilities as fathers, spouses and good citizens in large part because of the dude on the bass, jammin' on the one. That's the Warner I'll remember: the sage who elevated people as he brought them together with his bright smile, deep voice and bottomless warmth. I'll mourn him terribly, though not even half as much as his family members, friends, former castmates and bandmates who knew him far better. Suffice to say: Thursday Buteco nights won't be the same with him gone, but there's some comfort in thinking of his absence as its own reward when you know that's what it may have meant to him.


Metro
7 hours ago
- Metro
Surfer 'pulled Malcolm-Jamal Warner's daughter to safety' as star drowned
Malcolm-Jamal Warner drowned on Sunday whilst swimming with his 8-year-old daughter in Costa Rica. The 54-year-old actor was pronounced dead while on a family holiday with his wife and daughter. Warner was best known for his role as Theo Huxtable in The Cosby Show, which ran through most of his early adulthood from 1984 to 1992. The police told ABC News that surfers saw the father and daughter struggling, so they dove straight in to help. One surfer was able to rescue Warner's daughter by pulling her on to his board and paddling her to shore. A volunteer lifeguard, Mike Geist, was able to pull Warner to the surface before dragging him to land to attempt resuscitation. Geist told AZ family: 'There were two doctors that were also here on vacation.' 'Between three of them, they were able to perform CPR for more than 30 minutes, probably more like 45 minutes, and unfortunately, it was not successful.' The surfers risked their own lives to help save the Suits alumni; however, it was reported yesterday that one injured surfer had been discharged from the hospital after receiving treatment 'without complications.' Local police said that Warner drowned on a beach on Costa Rica's Caribbean coast after getting pulled under by a strong current in Limon province, Playa Cocles. His cause of death has been ruled as accidental asphyxiation by submersion. Despite Warner's conscious effort to keep his private life out of the spotlight, he previously took to Instagram to share photos expressing how much he loved his only child. Back in a 2021 Instagram post, the 90's star referred to his young daughter as his and his wife's 'mini us.' The late actor also shared a wholesome family video of him dancing with his daughter back in 2023, captioned: 'Yoooo! Y'all remember this? Man, time flies! I was playing this song in the car over the weekend and my baby didn't even remember it.' He went on to say, 'We used to play it all the time when she was 1. Had to go back and find this post to show her. I'm happy to say that this beautiful song is now back in rotation.' More Trending Warner enjoyed a successful career and has previously starred in Malcom & Eddie (1996-2000) and Reed Between the Lines (2011-2015). The star also set up a podcast alongside friends: Weusi Baraka and Candace Kelley. Not All Hood was launched in May 2024 and saw the trio speak on the different facets of the black community. The podcast shared an emotional tribute on their Instagram earlier this week: 'Malcolm didn't just host the conversation. He is the conversation. And now it's on us to keep talking, keep building, and keep telling the stories that matter. Rest in power, Brother.' Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. View More » MORE: South Park fans convinced Donald Trump will cancel series over 'teeny tiny' manhood MORE: Last surviving main Hogan's Heroes cast member Kenneth Washington dies aged 89 MORE: 'I lead a wondrous new TV period drama – it's a blessing'