Malcolm-Jamal Warner Dies: ‘The Cosby Show’ Star Was 54

Malcolm-Jamal Warner, a child actor who rose to global stardom on The Cosby Show, has died. He was 54.

ABC News was among the first outlets to report his death on Monday, July 21, saying Warner drowned off the coast of Costa Rica after being caught by a high current while swimming on Sunday. Costa Rican National Police told the outlet his cause of death was asphyxia.

The Associated Press also confirmed Warner’s death. Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Department said he was swimming at Playa Cocles in Limon province when a current swept him deep into the ocean.

“He was rescued by people on the beach,” authorities said. Warner had no vital signs by the time he was brought to shore.

Related: Malcolm-Jamal Warner Remembered by Former Co-Stars as ‘Beautiful Human’

The actor was best known for playing Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show, a hit family sitcom that aired on NBC from 1984 to 1992. The role earned Warner a Primetime Emmy Award nomination in 1986.

Warner’s personal website said his work on the series “set the stage for him to have a long career in the public eye.”

In a 2015 interview with the AP, Warner said he was saddened that the sexual assault allegations surrounding Bill Cosby tarnished the show’s reputation and its positive portrayal of a Black family centered by two professionals with strong family values.

“My biggest concern is when it comes to images of people of color on television and film, we’ve always had The Cosby Show to hold up against that,” he said. “And the fact that we no longer have that, that’s the thing that saddens me the most because in a few generations the Huxtables will have been just a fairy tale.”

Warner was born in Jersey City, New Jersey in August 1970.

Named after Malcolm X and jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal, he was raised by his mother Pamela, who served as his talent manager.

His mom enrolled him in acting classes as a child. Warner auditioned for the role of Theo Huxtable as part of a nationwide search and landed the coveted role.

In addition to The Cosby Show, he won over fans with a leading role on the UPN sitcom Malcolm & Eddie, BET’s Reed Between the Lines, and the FX drama Sons of Anarchy.

He also played Al Cowlings on the 2016 FX limited series The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story. From 2018 to 2023, he portrayed surgeon AJ Austin on 96 episodes of Fox medical drama The Resident, just to name a few of his dozens of credits.

Warner’s website said he was originally cast in three episodes of The Resident, but after becoming a fan favorite, producers promoted him to a series regular.

He directed episodes of The Cosby Show, All That, Keenan & Kel, Sesame Street, and the AIDS awareness video Timeout: The Truth about HIV, AIDS, and YOU, which starred Magic Johnson and Arsenio Hall and earned Warner the NAACP Key of Life Image Award.

When not acting or directing, Warner focused on poetry and was a bass player. In 2015, he won a Grammy Award for best traditional R&B performance as a featured performer on Robert Glasper’s version of the Stevie Wonder song “Jesus Children of America.”

Warner was married and had a daughter, but did not publicly disclose his family members’ names because of privacy concerns.