Celebrities, former costars, and fans are expressing heartbreak over the passing of Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who played son Theodore “Theo” Huxtable on “The Cosby Show,” after the actor drowned in Costa Rica at the age of 54.
Warner rose to fame as a teenager while on “The Cosby Show,” a role which earned him a 1986 Emmy nomination for Best Supporting Actor. More recently, he appeared on a number of tv shows, including “Grown-ish,” “9-1-1,” and “Alert: Missing Persons Unit,” while also dipping his toes into other fields.
Starting in 2024, Warner co-hosted a podcast called “Not All Hood,” which spoke about the experiences of Black people in the U.S, alongside Candace Kelley and Weusi Baraka. He earlier won a Grammy in 2015 for Best Traditional R&B Performance along with Robert Glasper Experiment and Lalah Hathaway for their cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Jesus Children.” He received a 2012 NAACP Image Award for his work on the sitcom “Reed Between the Lines,” on which he played a New York University professor.
Costa Rican authorities said Warner drowned Sunday while swimming at a beach on the country’s Caribbean coast, The Associated Press reported.
“My Big little Brother,” Eddie Griffin, who starred alongside Warner in the sitcom “Malcolm & Eddie,” captioned an Instagram story tribute to the actor.
“I cannot believe this. This hurts my heart. A gentleman. An incredible talent. And we were so lucky to have him in the 911 family. Heartbroken and sending love to his family,” 9-1-1 actor Jennifer Love Hewitt shared on her Instagram story.
American journalist and cohost of NBC’s “Today Show” Al Roker called Warner a “lovely young man.”
“I’ve known him since his Cosby Show days,” Roker wrote. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to his Mom and his family.”
Essence, a Black-owned lifestyle magazine, said it was “heartbroken” to share the news of the actor’s passing, highlighting the impact of his work. “His portrayal helped redefine Black boyhood on screen, offering humor, vulnerability, and depth across eight seasons,” the magazine wrote, referencing Warner’s time on “The Cosby Show.”
Actor Niecy Nash also gave Warner his flowers for his performance on the popular ‘80s show, calling him the “cornerstone” of the sitcom. “Never to be forgotten. You will be missed. Rest Easy,” she captioned her Instagram post.
Actor Jamie Foxx said he was “speechless” at the news, dedicating a post to Warner on his Instagram account. “Rest in power, my brother,” he wrote.
“Cookie and I are sad to hear about the passing of our dear friend,” wrote former NBA star Earvin “Magic” Johnson on X. “Every time I ran into Malcolm, we would have deep and fun conversations about basketball, life, and business. He will truly be missed. Cookie and I are praying [for] his family and close friends during this difficult time.” He included an emoji of folded hands, a symbol of prayer, in the post.
Actor Tracee Ellis Ross, who co-starred with Warner on “Reed Between the Lines,” said her heart was “so so sad” at the news.
She added: “What an actor and friend you were: warm, gentle, present, kind, thoughtful, deep, funny, elegant.”
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