Malcolm-Jamal Warner, famed for Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show, dies at 54 in accidental drowning off Costa Rica coast. Photo/X.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner, famous actor known for his role as Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show, has died at age 54 due to an accidental drowning off the coast of Costa Rica, People reported.
Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Department reported that Warner drowned Sunday afternoon while swimming at Playa Cocles on the country’s Caribbean coast in Limon province. According to their initial findings, a strong ocean current pulled him farther into the water.
“He was rescued by people on the beach,” the department stated, but when paramedics from Costa Rica’s Red Cross arrived, Warner showed no vital signs. He was subsequently taken to the morgue.
Warner became a household name through his portrayal of Theo Huxtable, the teenage son on the iconic NBC sitcom The Cosby Show, which aired from 1984 to 1992. He appeared in all 197 episodes over eight seasons, earning an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 1986.
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His character was the only son in the Huxtable household, navigating adolescence in a show widely regarded as a prime depiction of American family life and teenage boyhood. Memorable scenes included a pilot episode argument about money with Bill Cosby’s Cliff Huxtable and an episode where Theo tries to hide his ear piercing from his father.
alcolm-Jamal Warne Death: Tributes Pour inn From Friends, Fans
NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson expressed his sadness on social media.
“We were both super fans of the hit ‘Cosby Show’ and continued to follow his career on shows like ‘Malcolm and Eddie’ and ‘The Resident,’” Johnson said on X.
“Every time I ran into Malcolm, we would have deep and fun conversations about basketball, life, and business. He will truly be missed.”
Like his fellow cast members, Warner grappled with the fallout from sexual assault allegations against Bill Cosby, whose conviction was later overturned. In 2015, Warner told The Associated Press that the show’s legacy had been “tarnished.”
“My biggest concern is when it comes to images of people of color on television and film,” Warner said.
“We’ve always had ‘The Cosby Show’ to hold up against that. 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 vocal about social causes and mental health. On July 6, shortly before his death, he posted support for ‘Be Love Day,’ an initiative inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s teachings on love and justice.
“Our World House needs for us to BE LOVE,” Warner wrote. “Our collective holistic health depends on it.” He described the day as “an interactive exploration and celebration of what LOVE can do” and shared resources from The King Center. The initiative defines justice as “love correcting everything that stands against love.”
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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