Terrible news from the TV world: Malcolm-Jamal Warner, best known as Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show has died in Costa Rica. Per ABC News, “the actor died near Cocles, a beach in Limon, Costa Rica, according to police. Police said he was caught by a high current in the water and was discovered Sunday afternoon.”
The cause of death was asphyxia. Warner was only 54 years old.
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Born in 1970, Warner’s breakthrough and best-known role came playing Bill Cosby’s son Theo on all eight seasons of The Cosby Show. In 1986, he was nominated as Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his work on the show. (He ultimately lost the award to John Larroquette from Night Court.)
Although he remained instantly recognizable to ’80s kids as Theo Huxtable, Warner had a long and successful career in Hollywood in the decades since The Cosby Show ended in 1992. He recently starred for five seasons on the Fox medical drama The Resident and portrayed Al Cowlings on American Crime Story: The People vs. O.J. Simpson. He also played one of the title roles on the UPN sitcom Malcom & Eddie, and was one of the stars of the cult post-apocalyptic Showtime series Jeremiah.
In addition to his acting work, Warner also became a television director, working on series like All That, Kenan & Kel, and Reed Between the Lines. He also worked behind the scenes on the beloved Magic School Bus cartoon and won a Grammy in 2015 for Best Traditional R&B Performance. In recent days he was working on a podcast, Not All Hood.
54 is just way too young. Warner will be missed.
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