Malcolm-Jamal Warner, the American actor widely recognised for playing Theo Huxtable on the long-running television show The Cosby Show, has died at the age of 54.
TV Star Malcolm-Jamal Warner Found Dead at Beach in Costa Rica
Warner drowned on Sunday while swimming in the ocean near Cocles, a beach located in the Limón Province of Costa Rica, police said.
According to ABC News, Warner was caught in a rip current—a strong, fast-moving stretch of water that flows from the shore back into the sea.
These currents can quickly pull swimmers away from land, making them extremely dangerous.
Bystanders pulled Warner from the water and attempted to help him, but Costa Rica’s Red Cross later confirmed that he had died from asphyxia, a condition where the body is deprived of oxygen.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s Career and Legacy in Television and Music
Warner gained national fame in the 1980s for his portrayal of Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show, which aired from 1984 to 1992.
This role earned him a nomination for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
Beyond The Cosby Show, Warner also starred in several other television series.
He played the lead role in Malcolm & Eddie from 1996 to 2000 and appeared as Dr Alex Reed in Reed Between the Lines. More recently, he portrayed Dr AJ Austin in the medical drama The Resident.
In addition to acting, Warner was a musician and poet.
In 2015, he won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Performance for the song “Jesus Children,” which he performed with the Robert Glasper Experiment and singer Lalah Hathaway.
Early Life and Passion for Performance
Malcolm-Jamal Warner was born on 18 August 1970, in Jersey City, New Jersey. He was named after civil rights leader Malcolm X and jazz musician Ahmad Jamal.
His family moved to Los Angeles when he was five years old.
By the age of nine, Warner was already showing a strong interest in performing arts, which led him to attend several acting schools.
He later graduated from The Professional Children’s School in New York City, a private school that supports young people pursuing careers in the arts.
Warner is remembered for a decades-long career in television and music that began in childhood and extended into his fifties.