Costa Rican authorities have provided further details regarding the death of Malcolm-Jamal Warner, best known for his role as Theo Huxtable in The Cosby Show. The actor died after being dragged by a water current while on holiday in Cahuita, Limón.
Earlier reports suggested Warner was with his eight-year-old daughter at the time, but officials have clarified the sequence of events. “Mr. Warner was playing with his daughter at the seashore at one point. He then left her out of the water, and he and a friend of his entered the sea,” they told People in a statement translated from Spanish.
“It was at that moment that they were swept away by the current, and the friend managed to get out. However, Mr. Warner was unable to get out and was pulled out by several people on the beach. He received care from Red Cross officials, but was pronounced dead at the scene.”
Police had previously told ABC News that Warner was in the water with his daughter when surfers noticed them struggling. The surfers reportedly helped bring the girl to safety using a surfboard. A volunteer lifeguard assisted in bringing Warner and another surfer to shore. First responders performed CPR, but he was declared dead.
The Costa Rican Red Cross confirmed the incident, stating, “The scene was subsequently handed over to the police authorities for the appropriate legal procedures.” The official cause of death was asphyxia by submersion, ruled an accident.
Warner, who also appeared in Sons of Anarchy and The People v. O. J. Simpson, has been mourned by fans and colleagues. His ex-girlfriend Regina King posted a tribute on Instagram, and Cosby Show co-star Geoffrey Owens said, “This tragedy has almost left me speechless.”
