- Malcolm-Jamal Warner drowned while swimming off the coast of Playa Grande, Costa Rica.
- He was 54 and best known for playing Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show.
- Red Cross confirmed he was pulled under by a strong ocean current.
- Warner was also a Grammy-winning musician, director, poet, and activist.
- Tributes have flooded in from stars like Bill Cosby, Tracee Ellis Ross, and Eddie Griffin.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner, widely recognised for his role as Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show, has tragically passed away at the age of 54. According to Costa Rican officials and the Associated Press, Warner drowned on Sunday afternoon, July 20, 2025, while swimming off Playa Grande near Cahuita in Limón Province.
He was caught in a strong ocean current and pulled into deeper waters. Despite efforts from beachgoers to save him, he was pronounced dead at the scene by the Red Cross. Authorities confirmed the cause of death as asphyxia due to drowning.
Born on August 18, 1970, in New Jersey, Warner became a household name in the 1980s thanks to his role on The Cosby Show. His portrayal of Theo Huxtable earned him an Emmy nomination in 1986 and helped reshape how Black families were represented on television.
The show ran from 1984 to 1992 and inspired a generation of young viewers to value education, family, and ambition.
Tributes From Friends and Colleagues
Bill Cosby, who played Warner’s on-screen father, reacted with deep sorrow:
“You could depend on Malcolm always … to learn his lines, to gather his character, to come out and be ready,” Cosby told WPVI. “Of course, my thoughts went straight to his mother, who worked so hard. She was so wonderful with him.”
Tracee Ellis Ross, his co-star from Reed Between the Lines, described him as “warm, gentle, present, kind, thoughtful, deep, funny, elegant.”
Eddie Griffin, who starred alongside Warner in Malcolm & Eddie, posted an emotional tribute:
“What the world lost was a father, a son, a poet, a musician, an actor, a teacher, a writer, a director, a friend… Rest well, my big little brother.”
Beyond his childhood fame, Warner remained an active figure in entertainment. He starred in shows like Malcolm & Eddie, The Resident, Reed Between the Lines, and made guest appearances on Suits, American Horror Story, Key & Peele, and Sons of Anarchy.
Warner was also a skilled poet and musician. In 2015, he won a Grammy for best traditional R&B performance for his work on “Jesus Children” with the Robert Glasper Experiment and Lalah Hathaway. He was nominated again in 2023 for his spoken word poetry album Hiding in Plain View.
Despite the success of The Cosby Show, Warner did not shy away from addressing the show’s legacy following Bill Cosby’s legal troubles. In a 2015 interview, he expressed sadness over how the controversy had overshadowed the positive impact of the series.
“We’ve always had The Cosby Show to hold up against negative stereotypes,” he said. “The fact that we no longer have that is what saddens me the most.”
Warner recently launched a podcast, Not All Hood, which aimed to challenge narrow portrayals of Black life and celebrate its diversity.
He is survived by his daughter and other family members, who were with him in Costa Rica during the tragic accident.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s death is a deep loss not only to the entertainment industry but to a generation that saw in him both talent and transformation. From a beloved TV son to a bold, multifaceted artist, his legacy will continue to inspire.
