Cosby Show actor Warner dies in Costa Rica drowning
Costa Rica's Judicial Investigation Department said on Monday that Warner drowned on Sunday afternoon on a beach on the country's Caribbean coast.
He was swimming at Playa Grande de Cocles in Limon province when a current pulled him deeper into the ocean.
"He was rescued by people on the beach," the department's initial report said but first responders from the Red Cross found him without vital signs and he was taken to the morgue.
Warner featured in a pilot-episode argument with Bill Cosby's Cliff Huxtable about money and an ear piercing he tries to hide from his dad.
His Theo was the only son among four daughters in the household of Cliff Huxtable and Phylicia Rashad's Clair Huxtable on the NBC sitcom, and he would be one of the prime representations of teenage boyhood on a show that was the most popular in the United States for much of its run from 1984 to 1992.
He played the role for eight seasons in all 197 episodes, winning an Emmy nomination for supporting actor in a comedy in 1986.
For many the lasting image of the character, and of Warner, is of him wearing a badly botched mock designer shirt sewed by his sister Denise, played by Lisa Bonet.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner, the actor who played teenage son Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show, has died at the age of 54 in an accidental drowning in Costa Rica, local authorities say.
Costa Rica's Judicial Investigation Department said on Monday that Warner drowned on Sunday afternoon on a beach on the country's Caribbean coast.
He was swimming at Playa Grande de Cocles in Limon province when a current pulled him deeper into the ocean.
"He was rescued by people on the beach," the department's initial report said but first responders from the Red Cross found him without vital signs and he was taken to the morgue.
Warner featured in a pilot-episode argument with Bill Cosby's Cliff Huxtable about money and an ear piercing he tries to hide from his dad.
His Theo was the only son among four daughters in the household of Cliff Huxtable and Phylicia Rashad's Clair Huxtable on the NBC sitcom, and he would be one of the prime representations of teenage boyhood on a show that was the most popular in the United States for much of its run from 1984 to 1992.
He played the role for eight seasons in all 197 episodes, winning an Emmy nomination for supporting actor in a comedy in 1986.
For many the lasting image of the character, and of Warner, is of him wearing a badly botched mock designer shirt sewed by his sister Denise, played by Lisa Bonet.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner, the actor who played teenage son Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show, has died at the age of 54 in an accidental drowning in Costa Rica, local authorities say.
Costa Rica's Judicial Investigation Department said on Monday that Warner drowned on Sunday afternoon on a beach on the country's Caribbean coast.
He was swimming at Playa Grande de Cocles in Limon province when a current pulled him deeper into the ocean.
"He was rescued by people on the beach," the department's initial report said but first responders from the Red Cross found him without vital signs and he was taken to the morgue.
Warner featured in a pilot-episode argument with Bill Cosby's Cliff Huxtable about money and an ear piercing he tries to hide from his dad.
His Theo was the only son among four daughters in the household of Cliff Huxtable and Phylicia Rashad's Clair Huxtable on the NBC sitcom, and he would be one of the prime representations of teenage boyhood on a show that was the most popular in the United States for much of its run from 1984 to 1992.
He played the role for eight seasons in all 197 episodes, winning an Emmy nomination for supporting actor in a comedy in 1986.
For many the lasting image of the character, and of Warner, is of him wearing a badly botched mock designer shirt sewed by his sister Denise, played by Lisa Bonet.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner, the actor who played teenage son Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show, has died at the age of 54 in an accidental drowning in Costa Rica, local authorities say.
Costa Rica's Judicial Investigation Department said on Monday that Warner drowned on Sunday afternoon on a beach on the country's Caribbean coast.
He was swimming at Playa Grande de Cocles in Limon province when a current pulled him deeper into the ocean.
"He was rescued by people on the beach," the department's initial report said but first responders from the Red Cross found him without vital signs and he was taken to the morgue.
Warner featured in a pilot-episode argument with Bill Cosby's Cliff Huxtable about money and an ear piercing he tries to hide from his dad.
His Theo was the only son among four daughters in the household of Cliff Huxtable and Phylicia Rashad's Clair Huxtable on the NBC sitcom, and he would be one of the prime representations of teenage boyhood on a show that was the most popular in the United States for much of its run from 1984 to 1992.
He played the role for eight seasons in all 197 episodes, winning an Emmy nomination for supporting actor in a comedy in 1986.
For many the lasting image of the character, and of Warner, is of him wearing a badly botched mock designer shirt sewed by his sister Denise, played by Lisa Bonet.
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Officials have revealed a shocking new twist in Malcolm-Jamal Warner's death by drowning on Sunday while he was vacationing in Costa Rica. Initially, Elberth León, the head of the Tourist Police for the country's Atlantic region, claimed the actor's 8-year-old daughter was in the ocean with him and was successfully rescued. However, Costa Rica's Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) has since clarified that the girl was on the beach's shore when her dad entered the water with a friend, got 'caught by a high current' and drowned. 'Mr. Warner was playing with his daughter at the seashore at one point. He then left her out of the water, and he and a friend of his entered the sea,' a rep for the OIJ told People in a statement, which was translated from Spanish, on Thursday. 'It was at that moment that they were swept away by the current, and the friend managed to get out,' the statement continued. 'However, Mr. Warner was unable to get out and was pulled out by several people on the beach. He received care from Red Cross officials but was pronounced dead at the scene.' The man who pulled Warner out of the water, a doctor, recounted the harrowing scene to Us Weekly. Like Warner, he was on vacation, enjoying the day in the town of Playa Grande. According to the doctor, there were 'very few people on the beach' that day, which could have been because the 'sea was rough.' When he heard a group of people screaming and calling for help, he quickly 'ran to the area and entered the sea with [his] surfboard, heading into the rip current toward the person being pointed at by some beachgoers.' After a few minutes, the doctor said he 'saw a shadow' and immediately 'dove down and pulled the person out.' When the doctor finally reached the beach with Warner, he saw another man lying on the sand, struggling to breathe. '[He was] just someone who tried to help during the emergency without any rescue equipment,' the doctor explained, adding that 'immediately, [first responders] began providing first aid to Malcolm, but he had no vital signs.' The medical professional said two tourists who identified themselves as doctors 'ran over to help.' A few minutes later, Costa Rican Red Cross personnel arrived. They used specialized equipment on the 'Cosby Show' star, including a defibrillator, but he did not respond. Warner was pronounced dead at the scene at the age of 54 due to 'asphyxiation by submersion.' The other man was transported to the local medical clinic in critical condition but has since been released. Originally published as Shocking new twist in Malcolm-Jamal Warner's final moments revealed by officials
