Latest news with #MalcolmJamalWarner
Daily Mail
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
The Cosby Show star dead at 54: Malcolm-Jamal Warner passes away after shock 'drowning incident'
The Cosby Show alum Malcolm-Jamal Warner has tragically passed away at the age of 54, the Daily Mail can confirm. The actor died in Costa Rica on Sunday after drowning while swimming off the coast, according to local authorities who spoke with ABC News. The Costa Rican National Police reported that Warner's body was discovered near Cocles, a beach in the Limon province. He was reportedly caught by a strong current, and his official cause of death has been listed as asphyxia. Daily Mail has reached out to Warner's representatives for comment, but they have not yet responded. While the exact circumstances surrounding the incident remain unclear, experts note that some beaches in Costa Rica can pose serious risks depending on conditions. Though many areas are safe for swimming, others are known for powerful currents and rip tides that demand caution. Warner was best known for his iconic role as Theodore Huxtable, the only son of Cliff Huxtable, on the beloved NBC sitcom The Cosby Show. He appeared in all eight seasons from 1984 to 1992, earning widespread acclaim and becoming a household name. According to WedMD, Asphyxia 'happens when your body doesn't get enough oxygen to keep you from passing.' Breathing impairment, due to water inhalation, can cause the condition, which can result in unconsciousness or death. Although it is unknown what caused him to drown, the waters in Costa Rica can be dangerous, depending on the specific beach and conditions. While many beaches offer safe swimming, some have strong currents and rip tides that require caution. The actor, best known for his role as Theodore Huxtable on the beloved NBC sitcom, appeared in all eight seasons from 1984 to 1992. At the time, Warner was just a teenager, but his performance earned widespread acclaim, including a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series at the 1986 Primetime Emmy Awards. Warner is survived by his wife and young daughter, born in 2017. While he occasionally shared glimpses of his family life on social media, he chose to keep their identities private, opting not to publicly reveal their names. His character, Theo, was based on Bill Cosby's real-life son, Ennis Cosby, and was portrayed with depth and sensitivity. In the show, Theo is diagnosed with dyslexia after struggling academically during his freshman year at New York University—an arc that resonated with many viewers. Beyond The Cosby Show, Warner carved out a successful and diverse career in both comedy and drama. He starred as Malcolm McGee in the UPN sitcom Malcolm & Eddie (1996–2000) opposite Eddie Griffin, and later headlined BET's Reed Between the Lines from 2011 to 2015 as Dr. Alex Reed. His television credits also included recurring roles and guest appearances on shows like Sons of Anarchy, Jeremiah, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and Community. Warner also voiced the Producer character on the educational children's series The Magic School Bus. Prior to his breakout role, Warner, who was born in New Jersey, he attended a performing arts school in New York City. Cosby personally selected Warner to play his son. In 2023, Warner insisted he and the rest of the cast of The Cosby Show 'still very proud of' their hit series. 'We share a unique experience that keeps us lovingly bonded no matter how much time goes between seeing or hearing from each other,' he told People. 'Regardless of how some people may feel about the show now, I'm still proud of the legacy and having been a part of such an iconic show that had such a profound impact on — first and foremost, Black culture — but also American culture,' Warner explained, nodding to the rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment claims against his former onscreen dad. News of Warner's sudden death has left fans and colleagues in shock. 'That man gave us one of the greatest scenes in the history of television. I cannot even believe this. I am over here SOBBING! Rest in poetry, Malcolm Jamal Warner,' one fan wrote on X. Another tweeted: 'Rest in power to Malcolm-Jamal Warner (1970–2025), who passed away on July 21, 2025, at age 54 from an accidental drowning. Forever our Theo Huxtable, a symbol of Black excellence, grace, and artistry. Your legacy shines on.' Jamie Foxx was among the first Hollywood stars to pay tribute to Warner. 'Speechless on this one rest in power, my brother,' he wrote on Instagram, almost immediately after the news broke.
The Guardian
21 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Malcolm-Jamal Warner was a TV big brother and an off-screen gentleman. He'll be forever missed
The last time I saw Malcolm-Jamal Warner was on a bittersweet night in Atlanta. This was after one of his gigs at Buteco, the east side Brazilian joint that Warner took over on the first Thursday of every month. He would magically transform it into the kind of classic Black TV hotspot that he himself might have walked on to back in the day. (Think of Natalie's, the New York Undercover hangout.) Warner's Buteco Nights had become a rallying cry among my guy friends to break away from family routines and kick back and catch up for a few hours in a house full of fellow creatives. All the while, Warner would reinterpret funk and R&B jams on the electric bass with his band, Biological Misfits. When two friends announced they were leaving Atlanta for good, this balmy night in April became a final hurrah. I didn't yet know just how final. Just when the night seemed as if it couldn't be stretched any longer, I caught Warner as he and the band were packing up at closing time. I asked about his daughter (whom I fondly remember being carried out of Buteco after a recent gig ran past her bedtime), and suddenly – as ever with Warner, always so thoughtful and intentional in his interactions – we were going deep. We joked about being older dads and the adventures and adversities that come with raising Black children in this American day and age. He was so insanely proud of the job his wife and daughter were doing in homeschool, studying ancient Egypt and other Black history. He was especially excited about an upcoming family trip to Costa Rica, because it meant he could bring the classroom to the beach. After 20 or so minutes of catching up, we bro-hugged and parted ways. I had no reason to expect I'd never see him again. I was scrolling through Twitter on Monday when I saw Warner's name trending, and I've been numb ever since learning that he died in a drowning accident on that very family trip to Costa Rica, while swimming with his daughter. Like the sudden deaths of Chadwick Boseman and Kobe Bryant, Warner's passing is a profound shock that makes absolutely no sense to me whatsoever. Here was a guy who became a household name as a teenager and somehow wasn't turned into another tragic child star, who tarried in the industry over five decades making TV, movies, music and poetry without generating negative headlines or rumors – who, on the last night I saw him, looked for all the world like a man who had it all figured out and was at peace with the final answers. For it all to end now, as he was exactly where he wanted to be in life, just feels unspeakably cruel. Warner's is no ordinary celebrity tragedy. It's the beginning of the end of an era, of a time when TV stars were still so near and dear to us. For those of us who grew up watching the Cosby Show, my original Thursday night routine, he was more than a fictive relative. As Theo Huxtable, the respectful (if mischievous) teen who overcame dyslexia on the way to an NYU psychology major and job helping kids like himself at the community center, he showcased a range of Black masculinity that was alien at the time and still a strange sight on screen today. Just the sight of his name flashing in the opening credits was like seeing a Black fist come through the screen. How could Gil Scott-Heron say the revolution would not be televised when our man was right here, in dreads and kente patterns, repping Malcolm X and Mumia Abu-Jamal in prime time? Not just on the Cosby Show, mind you, but on The Resident and 9-1-1, too. Warner's loss has hit like a death in the family and, make no mistake, his family was immense. The welter of tributes – from Beyoncé (who remembered Warner on the front page of her official website) to Kate Hudson (who recalled her time working with Warner on Fool's Gold) to Tyrese Gibson (who paid tribute to Warner in a Facebook poem) – speak not only to his long and varied career in the industry (an NPR Tiny Desk, directing credits on music videos for Whitney Houston and New Edition) but to his monumental kindness, fundamental decency and unwavering professionalism. That sense of character, a fixture on and off screen, really shined through when Bill Cosby was subsumed by sexual assault allegations during the #MeToo era. While other industry peers rushed to distance themselves from Cosby, Warner found a way to walk a line between denouncing Cosby's conduct and reasserting his gratitude to his mentor and TV dad without anyone really questioning his loyalty. Reacting to Warner's death earlier this week Cosby's spokesperson, Andrew Wyatt, likened the bombshell news to the 1997 murder of Cosby's flesh-and-blood son, Ennis – a close friend of Warner's, as it happened. 'When we talk about why the good people are taken away from us,' Warner reflected in a recent podcast interview with the media personality Melyssa Ford, 'I go: 'Maybe they're being rewarded or something.'' More than his body work – which, again, is simply staggering – Malcolm should be remembered for actually living up to the Cosby Show's lofty ideals. His Thursday Buteco nights were pretty special too, a natural landing spot for other Black Hollywood icons who happened to be passing through town. But the real privilege wasn't watching Danny Glover or another star drop by to pay respect. It was sharing in some good, clean fun with a room full of people – a not insignificant number of them Black men who took to their responsibilities as fathers, spouses and good citizens in large part because of the dude on the bass, jammin' on the one. That's the Warner I'll remember: the sage who elevated people as he brought them together with his bright smile, deep voice and bottomless warmth. I'll mourn him terribly, though not even half as much as his family members, friends, former castmates and bandmates who knew him far better. Suffice to say: Thursday Buteco nights won't be the same with him gone, but there's some comfort in thinking of his absence as its own reward when you know that's what it may have meant to him.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Heartbreaking new details revealed in Malcolm-Jamal Warner's death
More details are emerging regarding Malcolm-Jamal Warner's tragic drowning death. The actor died this weekend after being 'caught by a high current' at Costa Rica's Playa Grande beach in Cahuita, Limón, while on a family vacation. Lifeguards were 'not present' at the time — despite patrolling there 'over the last few years' — due to a 'lack of resources,' according to the Caribbean Guard, Costa Rica's volunteer lifeguard association. In a Facebook statement shared Monday, the organization called Playa Grande a 'challenging' beach with signs in both English and Spanish warning of drowning risk. However, 'due to recent aquatic incidents in Playa Negra,' the Caribbean Guard had 'redirected resources there and to Chiquita, another iconic beach known for its strong currents.' The statement claimed that Warner's drowning 'happened very quickly,' noting, 'Although there were people on the beach who entered the water to rescue him, they did not arrive in time.' The Caribbean Guard continued, 'He was pulled from underwater without vital signs, and despite CPR maneuvers being performed on the beach, resuscitation was unsuccessful.' The Costa Rican Red Cross similarly revealed to People on Monday that three ambulances arrived at Playa Grande on Sunday after a 2:10 p.m. report about a 'water-related' incident. 'Two people were dragged by a water current at the beach' and were out by the time paramedics showed up, with Warner declared dead at the scene following CPR. As for the second individual, the unidentified man treated alongside the 54-year-old 'Cosby Show' alum is in critical condition. The Judicial Investigation Agency also confirmed to the outlet that Warner was declared 'lifeless at the scene.' News broke of Warner's drowning on Monday, hours after a woman named Kimara, appearing to be his cousin, tweeted about her heartbreak. 'My cousin died yesterday after drowning in costa rica,' she wrote via X. 'Yall pls be safe out here while traveling and doing water sports. Wear life jackets etc.' Warner is survived by a wife and daughter, whose identities he has kept private over the years. In addition to playing Theodore Huxtable on 'The Cosby Show,' the Emmy nominee is best known for his roles in 'Malcolm & Eddie, 'Reed Between the Lines' and 'The Resident.'
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Malcolm-Jamal Warner was ‘caught by a high current' in Costa Rica before fatal drowning: police
Sitcom star Malcolm-Jamal Warner was 'caught by a high current' in Costa Rica before he accidentally drowned Sunday afternoon. The 'Cosby Show' alum's body was discovered by local authorities near Cocles, a beach in Limon, ABC News first reported Monday. Police said in a statement, obtained by The Post, that Warner was pulled from the water by people in the area and taken to shore, where the Costa Rica Red Cross tried to revive him, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said Warner's cause of death is listed as asphyxiation by 'submersion. Reps for Warner weren't immediately available to Page Six for comment. The 54-year-old actor's death was announced via X Monday by a woman named Kimara who claimed to be his cousin. 'My cousin died yesterday after drowning in costa rica,' she posted. 'Yall pls be safe out here while traveling and doing water sports. Wear life jackets etc.' In a follow-up message, she added, 'Staying off socials for the rest of the day cuz seeing his face all over is hurting my feelings bad.' Warner had kept his family out of the spotlight, including his wife and daughter, whose identities are unknown. He was best known for his role as Theodore Huxtable on 'The Cosby Show.' He starred on the sitcom from 1984 to 1992 alongside Bill Cosby, Phylicia Rashad, Keshia Knight Pulliam, Lisa Bonet and more. Warner received an Emmy nomination in 1986 for his role on the show. He later starred on 'Malcolm & Eddie' with actor Eddie Griffin from 1996 to 2000. His other major role was on 'Reed Between the Lines' from 2011 to 2015. Warner also made appearances on 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,' 'Sons of Anarchy,' 'American Horror Story: Freak Show,' '9-1-1' and 'Suits.' His most recent gig was on 'Alert: Missing Persons Unit' earlier this year.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Emotional Raven-Symoné consoled by wife in first sighting after co-star Malcolm-Jamal Warner's death
Raven-Symoné is shaken by the death of her 'Cosby Show' co-star Malcolm-Jamal Warner. The actress was spotted at Los Angeles International Airport on Tuesday, looking downcast as she took an emotional moment to tightly hug her wife, Miranda Pearman-Maday. When a paparazzo asked her how she was holding up, she replied, 'Not good,' in footage obtained by TMZ. Raven-Symoné later shared that she was going through 'a lot.' 'I've had a lot of deaths in my life for the last four years, this is a lot right now,' she solemnly said. The former Disney Channel star lost her father, Christopher B. Pearman, in October 2024. Her younger brother, Blaize, died after a battle with colon cancer in November 2023. Raven-Symoné played Olivia Kendall — the stepgranddaughter of Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable (played by Bill Cosby) — on 'The Cosby Show' from 1989 to 1992. Warner played the only Huxtable son, Theodore 'Theo' Huxtable. The 'That's So Raven' alum, 39, shared an emotional tribute to her former co-star on Instagram Tuesday. 'Words cannot express the pain and sadness and surprise that I feel with the recent loss of MJW,' she said in an audio clip which featured an image of a white dove and the words 'I love you.' 'He was the big brother, he was a beacon, he was one of the most multifaceted, talented men — so gentle,' continued. 'And my heart and soul and hugs and kisses go out to his daughter and his wife and his mother.' Raven-Symoné then appeared to hold back tears. 'He gave the best advice,' she recalled. 'He gave the best hugs and his smile will always be a huge bright f–king white smile in my head forever.' 'I love you and I know you're watching over all of us now. Bye, Malcolm,' she concluded. Warner died Sunday after being 'caught by a high current' at Costa Rica's Playa Grande beach in Cahuita, Limón, while on a family vacation. The Caribbean Guard claimed in a statement Monday that his drowning 'happened very quickly.' 'He was pulled from underwater without vital signs, and despite CPR maneuvers being performed on the beach, resuscitation was unsuccessful,' the statement read. Warner was 54 years old.
