A cause of death for actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner has been determined.
The former “Cosby Show” star died July 20 at age 54 as a result of an accidental drowning off the coast of Costa Rica, according to a July 21 statement released by Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) that was translated from Spanish to English.
The report stated that OIJ agents “carried out the removal of the body of a male who died as a result of asphyxia by submersion.”
Malcolm-Jamal Warner on Sep. 30, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. Derek White / Getty Images
According to the report, Warner went swimming between 2 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. local time at Playa Cocles in Costa Rica’s Limon province when he was reportedly “dragged by a current offshore.”
Other beachgoers were able to rescue Warner and bring him back to shore. However, when members of the Costa Rican Red Cross arrived, they found the actor “without vital signs.”
Warner’s body was sent to the Judicial Morgue in San Joaquin de Flores for an autopsy.
Warner in a scene with his TV parents Bill Cosby and Phylicia Rashad on “The Cosby Show.”R. M. Lewis Jr./NBCU Photo Bank / Getty Images
A representative for the OIJ confirmed Warner’s death to NBC News on July 21.
Warner shot to stardom after landing the role of Theo, the teenage son of Cliff and Clair Huxtable on “The Cosby Show” from 1984 until 1992. He received an Emmy nomination for his performance in 1986.
Warner went on to star in the sitcom “Malcolm & Eddie” with Eddie Griffin, and appeared alongside Tracee Ellis Ross in the family comedy “Reed Between the Lines.”
He later played a surgeon AJ Austin on the Fox drama “The Resident.”
Over the years, Warner made memorable appearances in feature films, most notably in the rom-com “Fool’s Gold” alongside Matthew McConaughey, Kate Hudson and Donald Sutherland.
Warner most recently played Chief Inspector Bill Houston on “Alert: Missing Persons Unit” and appeared in the drama’s series finale on May 27.
