Malcolm-Jamal Warner, ‘Cosby Show’ Star, Dead at 54 in Drowning

Malcolm-Jamal Warner death, On Monday, Costa Rican authorities revealed that Malcolm-Jamal Warner, 54, had drowned by accident. Warner became a big star in the 1980s hit TV show “The Cosby Show” as Theo Huxtable, son of the main character.

Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Department said on Sunday afternoon that Warner had died of drowning on a beach in the Caribbean. He got further into the water as he swam at Playa Cocles in the Limon area.

According to the first story, “he was saved by people on the beach.” However, Costa Rican Red Cross first responders found him without any vital signs and took him to the morgue.

Warner made a lot of memorable TV moments that kids and adults from Generation X will always remember. One of these times was when Theo and Cosby got into a one-hour fight about grades and careers. In another episode, Theo tried to hide his pierce from his dad but failed.

Theo played a Black boy growing up in the Huxtable family, played by Cosby and Phylicia Rashad, on the NBC sitcom, which ran from 1984 to 1992 and was the most famous show in America for a lot of that time.

Remembering Theo Huxtable: Warner’s Iconic Role

Warner taught and acted for more than 40 years. He was a mainstay on “The Resident,” the medical drama, as well as in “Malcolm & Eddie” and “Read Between the Lines,” two comedies.

He left the business by doing guest roles on TV shows. One of these was a dramatic four-episode arc last year on the network serial “9-1-1,” in which he played a nurse who had been through a terrible fire for a long time.

“As a child, I was crazy about not wanting to be one of those ‘where are they now?’ kids,” Warner told The Associated Press in 2015. “To have all these outlets for my creativity, to have reached this point in my life where I can finally relax about what comes next, and to have all this support from my family and friends—I feel incredibly fortunate.”

During his eight years on “The Cosby Show,” he played Theo Huxtable in all 197 episodes. In 1986, he was nominated for an Emmy for best supporting actor in a comedy.

On Monday, actress Viola Davis was one of those who paid homage.

Theo was known as OUR son, brother, and friend by everyone. The Oscar winner wrote on Instagram, “We were thrilled that TV got it right because he looked so familiar.” “However, Malcolm was absolutely correct… we thoroughly enjoyed your life and are devastated by this tragedy.”

The Cosby Show’s Complicated Legacy

Warner had to deal with sexual assault claims against the “Cosby Show” star and the rest of the group before a court in Pennsylvania overturned his sentence.

Warner told the AP in 2015 that the show’s reputation had been “tarnished.”

“The portrayal of people of color in media is something that deeply worries me,” Warner said. That’s what “The Cosby Show” has always been there for. What bothers me the most is that we don’t have the Huxtables anymore. In a few generations, they will have been nothing more than a fairy story.

Malcolm-Jamal Warner death:Where Is ‘The Cosby Show’s’ Theo Now?

Warner’s big break after “Cosby” came when he co-starred with Eddie Griffin as Malcolm on the hit comedy “Malcolm & Eddie,” which aired on the now-defunct UPN network from 1996 to 2000.

Griff wrote on Instagram on Monday, “This is a hard time for me.” You have won not only this life, my brother, but also this world of happiness that will never end. So chill out and have fun.”

During the two seasons of the 2010s BET comedy “Read Between the Lines,” he shared the screen with Tracee Ellis Ross. In “American Crime Story,” he played O.J. Simpson’s friend Al Cowlings. He was also a regular on “The Resident” (Fox).

Theo was Ross’s first husband on TV, but Ross said on Instagram that they met “with the rest of the world” before that. “This makes me very sad.” You were a great friend and an amazing actor. You were warm, kind, wise, funny, intelligent, and present.

Warner worked in movies and was in the 2008 love comedy “Fool’s Gold” with Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson. Warner, a poet and musician, got a Grammy for best traditional R&B performance with his album “Hiding in Plain View.” It was also nominated for best spoken word poetry album.

Warner was in charge of directing episodes of “All That,” “Read Between the Lines,” “Malcolm & Eddie,” and “Read It.”

The Childhood That Shaped a Star

He was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1970. Malcolm X and Ahmad Jamal are his parents. Ahmad Jamal is a jazz guitarist. When he began playing when he was only nine years old, his mother Pamela Warner became his manager.

He first appeared on TV in the early 1980s as a guest on “Matt Houston” and “Fame.”

Warner (13 years old at the time), who tried out for the part of Theo, was finally chosen after a long search for the right child actress.

Many people thought that Cosby and the show would have a big audience, but not many people thought that the show would become so popular so quickly.

Lisa Bonet played Theo’s sister Denise on the show, and fans will always remember him and Warner because of the poorly sewn fake brand shirt she made for him. After that, the “Gordon Gartrell” shirt became a meme when Anthony Mackie wore it on “The Tonight Show” with Jimmy Fallon and when a baby wore it in Warner’s Instagram profile picture.

Warner would feel different ways about the character over time.

My friend Theo was very kind to me. Also, I think that part and the show will always be cool. Warner said in a recent podcast interview, “And I’m very proud of that role,” even though he had tried to distance himself from the role and would cringe for years when fans called him “Theo.”

I’m not getting close to them because I don’t want to see how much Malcolm likes Theo. As a host, I remember thinking that Theo is incredibly corny. He said on Melyssa Ford’s show “Hot & Bothered” that he wants Theo to be more well-known. Someone told me I was America’s favorite white Black boy. I was hurt when I was only fifteen years old. What I mean is cultural pain.

Warner chose not to tell everyone what his wife and little daughter’s names are. When his representatives heard about his death, they decided not to say anything right away.