Bill Cosby is grieving the heartbreaking loss of Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who played his onscreen son, Theo Huxtable, on The Cosby Show.
Warner, 54, tragically died after accidentally drowning while on vacation in Costa Rica.
Shortly after the news broke, Cosby, now 88, expressed how deeply the loss affected him. According to his representative Andrew Wyatt, the moment Cosby received the call about Warner’s death, it struck him as painfully as when he learned about his own son Ennis Cosby’s murder in 1997 during a failed robbery attempt.
Wyatt shared, via E! News that Cosby remembered how close Malcolm and Ennis were as children, saying they “were amazing together.”
Cosby also reflected on Warner’s legacy, saying the actor’s impact would continue far beyond his time on The Cosby Show. He believed Warner helped shape culture and inspired viewers through his performance as part of the Huxtable family.
Speaking with New York’s 6ABC, Cosby praised Warner’s commitment on set.
“You could depend on Malcolm always going to the shelter, to learn his lines, to gather his character to come out and be ready,” he said. “When the news came, it was shocking.”
He also took a moment to acknowledge Warner’s mother, sharing, “Of course, my thoughts went straight to his mother, who worked so hard. She was so wonderful with him.”
Details surrounding Warner’s death were confirmed by Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Agency.
On July 20, while swimming in the ocean, Warner was caught in a current. According to their translated statement, “the victim appears to have entered the sea and was apparently swept away by a current.”
Bystanders managed to bring him back to shore, and the Costa Rican Red Cross attempted treatment, but Warner was declared lifeless at the scene.
The Costa Rican National Police later confirmed that the cause of death was asphyxia, resulting from drowning.
