Malcolm-Jamal Warner, actor who starred as Theo in ‘The Cosby Show,’ dead at 54

 

Malcolm-Jamal Warner, an actor and artist who rose to fame as a child as Theodore Huxtable on “The Cosby Show,” died Sunday in a drowning accident in Costa Rica, according to local police.

He was 54.

Warner was swimming at Playa Grande near the town of Cahuita in the province of Limón on the Caribbean coast around 2:30 p.m. local time, when a current pulled him deeper into the ocean, according to the Associated Press.

Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Police told CNN on Monday people who were on the beach tried to help Warner, but he was declared dead by the Red Cross. Another man is in critical condition after being pulled into the current with Warner, authorities said.

On Tuesday, the Judicial Investigation Police said an autopsy of Warner had been completed, with the manner of death classified as accidental, and the cause as “asphyxia by submersion” (or, drowning). Warner’s body will then be released to a funeral service selected by his family.

CNN has reached out to representatives for Warner for further information.

Beginnings on a landmark TV show

A native of New Jersey, Warner started acting at age 9, making appearances in shows like “Fame.” He was a young teen when he was cast as the only son of Bill Cosby and Phylicia Rashad’s characters, Heathcliff and Claire Huxtable, in “The Cosby Show,” which ran from 1984 to 1992.

In an interview with CNN affiliate WPVI Monday, Cosby recalled his on-screen son’s dedication to his craft.

“You could depend on Malcolm always … to learn his lines, to gather his character, to come out and be ready,” Cosby said.

Cosby told WPVI he was gutted by the “shocking” news of Warner’s death, adding, “Of course, my thoughts went straight to his mother, who worked so hard. She was so wonderful with him.”

Warner often spoke about the legacy of the popular, Emmy-winning sitcom with pride.

“The fact that the Cosby Show for Black America and White America alike finally legitimized the Black middle class, which has always been around since the inception of this country but, as with everything, is not legitimate ‘til it’s on television,” Warner said.

“When the show first came out, there were White people and Black people talking about (how) the Huxtables don’t really exist, Black people don’t really live like that. Meanwhile, we were getting tens of thousands of fan letters from people saying, thank you so much for this show,” he added.

Warner was nominated for a Primetime Emmy in 1986 for his supporting work on “The Cosby Show.”