KEY POINTS:
• Malcolm-Jamal Warner died Sunday in an accidental drowning in Costa Rica, according to Costa Rican National Police who spoke to ABC News • The 54-year-old actor was caught in a rip current at Cocles beach in Limón province, police told ABC News • Warner’s 8-year-old daughter was rescued by surfers, Costa Rican National Police confirmed to ABC News • A second man involved in the incident is in critical condition, the Costa Rican Red Cross told People
Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who rose to fame playing Theodore “Theo” Huxtable on “The Cosby Show,” died Sunday in an accidental drowning off the coast of Costa Rica at age 54, Costa Rican National Police told ABC News on Tuesday.
The actor died near Cocles, a beach in Limón, Costa Rica, after getting caught by a rip current Sunday afternoon, police told ABC News. Warner was swimming with his 8-year-old daughter on Sunday when surfers spotted them struggling and dove in to help, police confirmed to ABC News.
According to ABC News, a surfer used his board to bring Warner’s daughter to safety and a volunteer lifeguard pulled Warner and another surfer to shore, where Warner was given 45 minutes of CPR. Police told ABC News that Warner was declared dead by the Costa Rican Red Cross at the scene.
The Forensic Pathology Department said that the autopsy confirmed that Warner’s death, which was described as asphyxiation by submersion, was accidental, police told ABC News on Tuesday.
The Costa Rican Red Cross told People that according to their report, “two people were dragged by a water current at the beach.” A 35-year-old man was transported to a Costa Rican clinic in critical condition on July 20, the Costa Rican Red Cross told People and Us Weekly.
CBS News reported that Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Department said Warner appeared to be pulled out to sea by a current. According to CBS News, Warner was assisted by people who were at the beach, but he was declared dead by the staff of the Costa Rican Red Cross.
Bill Cosby’s Reaction
Bill Cosby, who played Warner’s TV father on “The Cosby Show,” compared learning of Warner’s death to when he was told his son Ennis was killed in 1997, according to spokesperson Andrew Wyatt who spoke to CBS News.
“When the news came, it was shocking,” Cosby told 6ABC Philadelphia in a phone interview. “Of course, my thoughts went straight to his mother, who worked so hard. She was so wonderful with him.”
According to TMZ, Cosby’s representative Andrew Wyatt said that Cosby feels Warner made a lasting impact with his life and career that will continue to change the world. The representative told TMZ that Cosby recalled his son Ennis and Warner playing together as children and being “amazing together.”
“We were embracing each other over the phone about a dearly beloved friend,” Cosby told CBS Weekend News anchor Jericka Duncan about speaking with co-star Phylicia Rashad after learning of Warner’s death.
Career Highlights
Warner starred as Theo Huxtable on “The Cosby Show” from 1984 to 1992, CBS News reported. His performance earned him an Emmy nomination for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series in 1986, according to CBS News.
The Hollywood Reporter noted that Warner was born on August 18, 1970, in Jersey City, New Jersey, and was named after Malcolm X and jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal. According to The Hollywood Reporter, he and his family moved to Los Angeles when he was 5.
In addition to “The Cosby Show,” Warner’s television credits included “Malcolm & Eddie” (1996-2000), “Reed Between the Lines” (2011-2015) and “The Resident” (2018-2023), CBS News reported. According to ABC News, he also appeared in “Suits,” “Community,” “Sons of Anarchy,” and “American Horror Story.”
Warner won a Grammy for best traditional R&B performance in 2015 for his part in a cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Jesus Children of America,” CBS News reported. ABC News noted he was also nominated for a Grammy in 2023 for best spoken word poetry album for “Hiding In Plain View.”
Tributes from Hollywood
“I love you, Malcolm. First I met you as Theo with the rest of the world then you were my first TV husband,” Tracee Ellis Ross wrote in a tribute shared on social media, according to CNN. Ross continued: “My heart is so so sad. What an actor and friend you were: warm, gentle, present, kind, thoughtful, deep, funny, elegant.”
Eddie Griffin, who starred opposite Warner in “Malcolm & Eddie,” wrote in a statement reported by CNN: “My Heart is heavy today… For what the world lost was a Father a Son a Poet a Musician a Actor a Teacher a Writer a Director a Friend.”
“Everyone at Fox is heartbroken by the tragic loss of our friend and colleague, the extraordinary Malcolm-Jamal Warner,” Fox Entertainment said Monday in a statement reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
Kevin Powell, a poet and friend of Warner’s, told CBS News that Warner was “humble, kind and supportive of other people.” Powell told CBS News: “He literally was America’s son as the only male child on that historic show, ‘The Cosby Show.'”
