Malcolm-Jamal Warner is dead at the age of 54, per a report from TMZ.
Monday, the publication reported the Cosby Show actor’s death, citing a “reliable source” as saying it was due to an “accidental drowning.” Deadline said the same.
No official statement had been released at the time of this writing. ABC News added additional details shortly after the tragic news first broke, including word that Warner had reportedly drowned off the coast of Costa Rica, per local officials.
In The Cosby Show, the Emmy-nominated actor played Theo Huxtable, son to Bill Cosby’s Cliff and Phylicia Rashad’s Clair. Warner’s credits spanned decades, with the Jersey-born artist taking his talent to film, TV, and theater. He also became a Grammy winner in 2015 thanks to his work on Robert Glasper’s take on Stevie Wonder’s “Jesus Children of America.”
In Malcolm & Eddie, which launched in 1996 and ran for four seasons, Warner again tapped into his proven power as a sitcom star, this time alongside Eddie Griffin. Warner’s extensive roster of noteworthy film and TV roles also boasted turns in The Magic School Bus, Community, American Horror Story: Freak Show, The Resident, Fool's Gold, Reed Between the Lines, Sneaky Pete, 9-1-1, Sons of Anarchy, and more. In American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson, Warner portrayed Al “A.C.” Cowlings as part of a cast that also included Cuba Gooding Jr. and Sterling K. Brown.
In an interview with Sherri Shepherd earlier this year, Warner, at the time promoting the third season of Alert: Missing Persons Unit, pointed to the larger legacy of The Cosby Show, noting that it’s “still relevant.” Watching it with his daughter, he added, was a “really surreal” experience.
“[The Cosby Show] wasn’t just the No. 1 show in the world, it was the show that had such an impact on the world, on white America, on Black America,” Warner said. “That’s something that I’ll always be proud of being associated with.”
Alongside Candace Kelley, Warner hosted the Not All Hood (NAH) podcast. The show released the latest episode of its second season last week.
RIP.