The Cosby Show star Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s cause of death aged 54 revealed
Tribute have poured in for the star
22 Jul 2025, 09:44Updated:22 Jul 2025, 15:35
Tags: Celebrity Deaths, Entertainment
The death of Malcolm-Jamal Warner, best known for playing Theo Huxtable in The Cosby Show between 1984 and 1992, was announced last night (July 21).
Tributes have poured in for the star, who died aged 54, led by the show’s disgraced lead, Bill Cosby.
This afternoon (July 21), his cause of death was confirmed by authorities, who shared more details on his heartbreaking final moments.
What happened to Malcolm-Jamal Warner?
Last night, it was reported that Malcolm-Jamal had sadly died. The star drowned while on a family holiday in Costa Rica.
However, more details have now been shared.
What caused Malcolm-Jamal Warner to drown?
The star was swimming off the coast of San Jose, Costa Rica, when he was caught in a current and drowned.
Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) report stated that OIJ agents “carried out the removal of the body of a male who died as a result of asphyxia by submersion”.
According to the report, the star went swimming between 2pm and 2.30pm local time at Playa Cocles in Costa Rica’s Limon province. It was here when he was reportedly “dragged by a current offshore”.
Other beachgoers were able to rescue the actor and return him to shore. However, when members of the Costa Rican Red Cross arrived, they found the actor “without vital signs”.
“He was rescued by people on the beach,” the initial report said. CPR was performed on him for around 20 minutes, according to People.
His body was sent to the Judicial Morgue in San Joaquin de Flores for an autopsy.
Police have ruled his cause of death as asphyxiation by submersion as a result of accidental drowning.
Another man has been left critically injured.
Tributes for Malcolm-Jamal Warner following his death
Malcolm’s on-screen father, Bill Cosby, 88, has paid tribute.
Speaking to ABC News, he said: “I enjoyed working with him very much. He always knew his part, he always knew his lines, and he always knew where to go. He knew his lines and then he was quite comfortable, even with the growing pains of being a teenager.”
Cosby also revealed that Malcolm still regularly got in touch. “Malcolm called here regularly. While I was their TV dad, I never stopped being a father to them.”
Cosby also said that when he got the call to say Malcolm had died, it reminded him of when he’d received a call telling him that his son, Ennis, had died in 1997. Since 2014, re-runs of the show have been pulled from networks due to sexual assault cases leveled against Cosby.
Malcolm’s life and career
Born in August 1970, Malcolm made his screen debut in an episode of American crime drama Matt Houston in 1982. Roles in Fame and Call to Glory followed, before he landed his most enduring role, that of Theo Huxtable in The Cosby Show.
Theo was based on Bill Cosby’s own son, Ennis Cosby (who was murdered aged 27). Malcolm appeared in all eight series of The Cosby Show to critical acclaim, bagging an Emmy nomination in 1986. He also reprised the character in the show’s spin-off, A Different World, in 1988 and 1989.
Roles in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Here and Now, and CBS Storybreak followed. Between 1996 and 2000, he appeared in another popular sitcom, Malcolm and Eddie.
He has also featured in shows such as Jeremiah, Community, American Horror Story, Suits and The Resident. Away from acting, Malcolm was a keen musician, releasing four albums. His 2015 song Jesus Children won a Grammy.
He was married, and shared a young daughter with his wife. He kept their names private.https://www.instagram.com/p/CQZQhdNtKNj/embed/captioned/?cr=1&v=14&wp=510&rd=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.entertainmentdaily.com&rp=%2Fnews%2Fmalcolm-jamal-warner-death-cosby-show-tributes%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A1612766.1000000006%2C%22ls%22%3A3432.3000000002794%2C%22le%22%3A3515.5%7D
Tributes for Malcolm
Fans of the late star have been paying tribute on social media since news of his death broke.
“A generation grew up with Warner as Theodore Theo Huxtable. His portrayal helped redefine black boyhood on screen, offering humour, vulnerability and depth across eight seasons. May he rest in peace,” one fan tweeted.
“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,” another said.
“Malcolm-Jamal Warner will forever be a massive part of pop culture, and the childhood of so many…him not being here just feels like such cruelty,” a third wrote.
“The Cosby Show understandably has a dark cloud around it now, but Malcolm Jamal Warner as Theo is one of the most important/iconic portrayals of a young Black man on TV. From his struggles with dyslexia to becoming an educator, Theo was so important in the 80s/90s,” another said.
Malcolm leaves behind a wife and daughter.
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