US actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner, best known for his role as Theo Huxtable on the iconic sitcom The Cosby Show, has died in Costa Rica, local authorities confirmed on Monday. He was 54.
Warner reportedly drowned on Sunday afternoon while swimming at Coles Beach in Cahuita, a coastal town on the Caribbean side of the country. According to a statement from Costa Rica’s judicial police, the actor was pulled out to sea by a strong current after entering the water.
“Bystanders on the beach attempted to help the victim, but he was later pronounced dead by Red Cross lifeguards,” the statement read. His body has been transferred to a local morgue for further examination.
Warner rose to fame in the 1980s as the witty and endearing Theo Huxtable, the only son in the Huxtable family on The Cosby Show, which aired from 1984 to 1992. His performance earned him an Emmy nomination and made him a household name.
He later starred in other television series, including Malcolm & Eddie and Reed Between the Lines.
The Cosby Show, based on the stand-up routines of its creator and star Bill Cosby, portrayed the lives of an upper-middle-class Black family in Brooklyn. It was a critical and commercial success, widely praised for its positive and groundbreaking representation of Black family life on American television.
However, the show’s reputation has since been tarnished by multiple allegations of sexual assault against Cosby, who was once celebrated as “America’s Dad.”
Warner had continued to act and direct in television and film in the years following his early success, earning respect for his steady career and contributions to the industry.
His death has shocked fans and colleagues, many of whom remember him as a talented actor and a cultural icon of 1980s television.
AFP
