Malcolm-Jamal Warner, star of 'The Cosby Show' and 'The Resident,' drowns at 54.

Actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner, a former member of "The Cosby Show" (1984-1992), died after drowning while on vacation in Costa Rica, the American media outlet ABC reported on Monday.

Costa Rican National Police told the publication that the 54-year-old actor, known for playing Theodore "Theo" Huxtable on the NBC series, drowned near Cocles Beach in the Central American country on Sunday, and that the official cause of death was asphyxiation.

Police said a strong current caught him while he was swimming, and his body was found yesterday afternoon. Warner played Theo Huxtable during the eight seasons of "The Cosby Show," which also starred Bill Cosby, and followed the family life of an obstetrician and a lawyer in Brooklyn.

His performance earned him an Emmy Award nomination , and he subsequently worked on series such as 'Malcom & Eddie', 'The Magic School Bus', in which he lent his voice, 'Reed Between the Lines' and 'The Resident'.

The actor also won a Grammy for his performance on Robert Glass's Experiment song "Jesus Children," and earned a nomination for best spoken-word poetry album for "Hiding in Plain View."

Among his most recent works were the podcast 'Not All Hood' and television series such as '9-1-1' (2024) and 'Alert Missing Persons Unit' (2025).