Malcolm-Jamal Warner, "The Cosby Show" actor, dies at 54 in an accidental drowning in Costa Rica

Officials in Costa Rica reported that actor and director Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who was most known for his role on "The Cosby Show," died in an accidental drowning. He was 54 years old.

The source revealed that Warner died in Costa Rica when he drowned while on vacation with his family.

The Costa Rican Judicial Investigation Department said on Monday that Warner drowned on Sunday afternoon on a beach on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica.

The department said that he was swimming at Playa Cocles in Limon province when a current carried him further into the water. “He was rescued by people on the beach,” the department’s initial report said, but first responders from Costa Rica’s Red Cross found him without vital signs and he was taken to the morgue.

Warner, who is from New Jersey, began acting at the age of 9 and appeared in series like "Fame." He was a young kid when he got the role of Heathcliff and Claire Huxtable's only son, Bill Cosby and Phylicia Rashad's characters, in "The Cosby Show," which lasted from 1984 to 1992.

In 1986, he was nominated for an Emmy for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series.

Warner went on to star in other TV shows, including "Malcolm & Eddie" (1996-2000), "Reed Between the Lines" (2011-2015) and "The Resident" (2018-2023). He also played The Producer on "The Magic School Bus" from 1994 to 1997. In 1994, he starred in his first full-length movie, "Drop Zone."

Warner was featured in movies, such as "Fools Gold" starring Matthew McConaughey in 2008 and "Drop Zone" with Wesley Snipes in 1994. "The Magic School Bus" fans might also recognize Warner as the voice of the show's host, "The Producer."

His website says that Warner also directed episodes of "The Cosby Show," "All That," "Keenan & Kel," and "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air."

Warner was a bass player in addition to acting and directing.  He received a Grammy in 2015 for best traditional R&B performance as a featured artist on Robert Glasper's "Jesus Children." He has also acted in off-Broadway plays, where he has starred in many, including "Cryin' Shame," for which he earned the NAACP Theater Award for outstanding supporting actor.

He was featured on "Alert: Missing Persons Unit" and hosted the podcast "Not All Hood," which looked at the diverse realities of Black Americans.

Warner was born on August 18, 1970, in Jersey City, New Jersey. He was named after Malcolm X and jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal. When he was five, he and his family relocated to Los Angeles.

Warner was a husband and father.