Malcolm-Jamal Warner, the man so many of us first met as Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show has died. He was just 54.
According to reports, he drowned off the coast of Costa Rica on Sunday after getting caught in a rip current near Cocles Beach. Bystanders pulled him out and tried to help, but it was too late. The autopsy confirmed his death as accidental drowning.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner wasn’t just a sitcom character from the ‘80s. He was a constant presence on TV for decades; Malcolm & Eddie, Reed Between the Lines, The Resident, Suits.
There has been an outpouring of love from people who actually knew him. Tracee Ellis Ross, who called him her “first TV husband,” said he was gentle, thoughtful, funny, elegant. Questlove from the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon shared how Warner would regularly trade playlists with him, give advice, and never spoke with bitterness about the industry.
We’ve lost someone special. est in peace, Malcolm-Jamal Warner. You gave us so much laughter, representation, comfort, inspiration. You’ll be missed more than you know.
