TRAGIC new details have emerged in the drowning death of The Cosby Show star Malcolm-Jamal Warner.
Warner, who played Theodore Huxtable in the 1980s sitcom, was pulled from the water in Costa Rica on Sunday after being dragged out by a current while on vacation.
Beachgoers and first responders in Limon desperately tried to save Warner, but he was pronounced dead.
CPR was performed on him for around 20 minutes at the Playa Grande Beach, as reported by People.
Costa Rican cops ruled his cause of death as asphyxiation by submersion.
Warner, 54, didn’t have vital signs before being pulled onto shore. His body was later taken to a morgue.
Officials at the Caribbean Guard in Costa Rica revealed there are signs warning beachgoers about the risk of drowning.
“Playa Grande is one of our most challenging beaches,” the agency said in a Facebook statement.
Lifeguards were not present at the beach on Sunday, according to the post.
The agency explained how resources had been deployed to the Playa Grande beach and the Chiquita beach due to water-related incidents.
Another man has been left critically injured and he was rushed to the hospital.
Tributes have poured in to Warner and Bill Cosby, who played Theo’s dad Cliff Huxtable in the show, said the actor’s death reminded him about his son’s murder.
Cosby was filming the sitcom in January 1997 when he was told his son Ennis had been shot dead.
Ennis was killed in a botched robbery.
Cosby’s rep told TMZ that Warner and Ennis used to socialize when they were children.
“It was shocking,” shamed star Cosby later told the ABC affiliate WPVI-TV as he recalled learning about Warner’s death.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s last TV interview gave rare insight into Bill Cosby and his time on show just weeks before death
Cosby has led the tributes to his late co-star.
“You could depend on Malcolm always going to uh 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. And of course, my thoughts went straight to his mother, who worked so hard.
“She was so wonderful with him.”
Beyonce, Kate Hudson, and Jamie Foxx are among the A-Listers that have paid tribute to the late sitcom star.
Hudson described Warner as someone who was the “kindest and sweetest.”
“Rest in power, Malcolm-Jamal Warner. For being a big part of our shared television history,” Beyonce wrote on her website.
“You will be missed.”
Award-winning actress Viola Davis said she was speechless by the news Warner had died.
“Theo was our son, our brother, our friend.,” she wrote on Instagram.
“He was absolutely so familiar, and we rejoiced at how TV got it right!!”
Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s life
Warner began his stardom on “The Cosby Show” as character Theodore Huxtable, earning him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
He then went on to play Malcolm McGee in the sitcom Malcolm & Eddie, and starred in shows like Reed Between the Lines, Sons of Anarchy, American Horror Story: Freak Show, and Suits.
Warner was also a voice actor in The Magic School Bus, an iconic children’s television show that aired in the 90s.
Alongside acting, Warner was a poet and a bass player, earning his first Grammy in 2015 for “Best Traditional R&B Performance as a Featured Performer.”
Most recently, he hosted the podcast Not All Hood, which “takes a provocative look at the vastly different lived experiences and identities of Blacks in America,” according to its website.
Warner has spoken fondly of being involved with The Cosby Show.
“I know I can speak for all the cast when I say The Cosby Show is something that we are all still very proud of,” he told People in 2023.
In 2021, Cosby had his sex assault conviction overturned.
Months before his death, Warner told his fans he would be back soon in a clip shared on social media.
In the video taken while driving, he said he wanted to spread some love.
Warner starred in the Cosby Show between 1985 and 1992 and received an Emmy nomination.
He appeared in almost 200 episodes.
Warner was given the gig in the Cosby Show just two years after making his television debut.
He appeared in an episode of the program Matt Houston in 1982.
Between 1996 and 2000, Warner appeared in the show Malcolm & Eddie, where he played Malcolm McGee.
Warner later starred in shows such as Jeremiah between 2002 and 2004, where he played the character Kurdy.
He also appeared in series such as Listen Up, Dexter, Sherri, and Reed Between the Lines.
The actor played Alex Reed in Reed Between the Lines between 2011 and 2015.
He also has credits for roles in Suits, Ten Days in the Valley, The Resident, and 9-1-1.
Warner starred as AJ Austin in The Resident, which featured stars such as Matt Czuchry and Bruce Greenwood.
His final credited appearances were in the series Alert, where he played chief inspector Bill Houston.
