The Cosby Show alum was 54

Malcolm-Jamal Warner, the actor best known as Theodore Huxtable on the groundbreaking sitcom The Cosby Show, has died at the age of 54.

Warner died from an accidental drowning off the coast of Costa Rica, Costa Rican National Police told ABC News. Police said he was caught by a high current in the water. Representatives for the actor didn’t immediately respond to Entertainment Weekly‘s request for comment on Monday.

Born August 1970 and named after Malcolm X and jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal, Warner began his career with episodes of Matt Houston and Fame before he broke out as Theodore “Theo” Huxtable, the only son of Bill Cosby’s patriarch, Cliff Huxtable, on The Cosby Show. The NBC comedy, groundbreaking at its time for its depiction of an affluent African-American family, ran for eight seasons between 1984 and 1992.

The sitcom also starred Phylicia Rashad as matriarch Clair Huxtable, as well as Lisa Bonet, Tempestt Bledsoe, Keshia Knight Pulliam, and Sabrina Le Beauf as the Huxtable daughters and Warner’s oscreen sisters.

“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 said of the show’s enduring legacy in the wake of controversy surrounding co-creator and star Cosby, whose 2018 sexual assault conviction was overturned in 2021.

Sign up for Entertainment Weekly’s free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

Warner would reprise his role as Theo across two episodes of 1987 spin-off series A Different World, centered on Bonet’s Denise Huxtable during her time at Hillman College.

The actor would go on to co-lead the 1996 sitcom Malcolm & Eddie opposite Eddie Sherman, playing polar opposite best friends and roommates on the UPN comedy that ran for four seasons. His expansive television credits include Here and Now, Listen Up, Community, Suits, American Horror Story, Reed Between the Lines, The Resident, 9-1-1, and most recently, Alert: Missing Persons Unit. Warner also had a memorable guest arc as Eric Sanders, pompous boyfriend of Karyn Parsons’ Hilary Banks, on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. His movie credits include Drop Zone, Tyson, Fool’s Gold, and Shot.

Warner’s latest venture was Not All Hood, a podcast launched last year with Weusi Baraka and Candace Kelley that examines the lived experiences and identifies of Black people in America.

Warner is survived by his wife and daughter.