Malcolm-Jamal Warner, known for his role as Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show, has died. He was 54.
Warner starred in the beloved family sitcom from 1984 to 1992, and went on to headline Malcolm & Eddie with Eddie Griffin from 1996 to 2000.
His death was first reported by TMZ. According to the publication he drowned while swimming in in Costa Rica. A source also confirmed the news to People.
The Independent has approached Warner’s representatives for comment.
Warner was born in Jersey City, New Jersey on August 18, 1970. He pursued acting from a young age and graduated from New York’s Professional Children’s School.
At the age of 13 he auditioned for the role of Theo, the only son of Bill Cosby’s Heathcliff Huxtable, on the final day of a nationwide search. He was chosen for the part Cosby himself.
Earlier this year, he reflected on the difficulty of always being associated with his breakout role on the Hot & Bothered with Melyssa Ford podcast.
Per Yahoo, he said his wife, who he never publicly named for privacy reasons, “got on him” for trying to “distance himself from Theo, as if Theo was a bad thing.”
He continued: “I’ve always wanted it to be separate… and there’s this narrative that I hate being called Theo…”, before admitting that it was true and he disliked being asked to sign autographs as “Theo.”
He added: “I’m always gonna be Malcolm much longer than Theo. Although to some people I’ll be Theo forever, and I can’t help that.”
During his time on The Cosby Show, Warner became a well-known figure and made regular guest appearances elsewhere. He hosted Saturday Night Live in 1986, at the age of 16, and also appeared in Sesame Street and in several television specials.
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Warner reprised the role of Theo in the spin-off series A Different World, which ran from 1988 to 1989.
More recently, he made appearances on comedies including Community and Key & Peele, and starred opposite Tracee Ellis Ross in the 2011 sitcom Reed Between the Lines.
His final screen credits came in four episodes of the procedural 9-1-1 last year.
He is survived by his wife and daughter.