The American actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner, best known for his role as Theodore Huxtable in the sitcom The Cosby Show, has died in a swimming accident in Costa Rica. He was 54.
ABC News in the US reported that Warner drowned near Cocles, a beach in Limon, Costa Rica on Sunday.
Reuters reported that the Central American nation's judicial investigation department (OIJ) confirmed that a US citizen with the last name Warner had drowned after being pulled out to sea by a rip current.
He was declared dead at the scene by Red Cross lifeguards, the department said.
It is reported that Warner was on a family holiday at the time of his death.
As a teenager, New Jersey-born Warner became an Emmy nominee for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his work on The Cosby Show.
His many other screen credits included the series Fame, Malcolm & Eddie, Reed Between the Lines, Community, Sons of Anarchy, American Horror Story: Freak Show, Suits, and The Resident.
In 2015, Warner was a Grammy winner in the Best Traditional R&B Performance category for the song Jesus Children alongside Robert Glasper Experiment and Lalah Hathaway.
He also worked as a director, producer, podcaster, and voiceover artist.
The Cosby Show, which aired from 1984 to 1992, was a groundbreaking series on US television that portrayed a successful black middle-class family. Bill Cosby portrayed a doctor, and Warner played his only son.
Dozens of women have accused Bill Cosby of being a serial predator who gave his alleged victims sedatives and alcohol before assaulting them over four decades.
Despite numerous lawsuits brought against him, Bill Cosby has no criminal convictions but was found liable in 2022 in a civil case.
He was imprisoned in a criminal case in 2018, before being freed in 2021 when his conviction was overturned on a technicality.
"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 told People magazine when asked about The Cosby Show in 2023.
Additional Reporting: Reuters, AFP
