Sean Coon from Greensboro, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
The Bill Cosby Show child star, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, has died by drowning at the age of 54.
Warner played the role of Theo Huxtable, the son of a medical doctor, Cliff Huxtable, on the very popular sitcom of the ‘80s, The Cosby Show.
Warner met his untimely end on Sunday while vacationing in Costa Rica, according to reports.
According to the authorities, the actor was swimming at Playa Cocles in the Limón province when a strong ocean current swept him away.
Eye-witnesses said the incident happened between 2:00 and 2:30 p.m. local time.
Good swimmers and divers were able to rescue Warner and handed him over to the Costa Rican Red Cross, who administered urgent treatment.
In spite of their best efforts, Warner was pronounced dead at the scene.
His passing was formally confirmed by the Costa Rican Judicial Investigation Agency.
The late actor became famous as a teenager with The Cosby Show, which premiered in 1984.
He played the character of Theodore, Theo for short, son of the main character, Dr. Cliff Huxtable, played by Bill Cosby.
The show was an instant success and continued to rule the airwaves until 1992.
Riding on the success of the programme, Warner got some other high-profile roles or engagements, such as hosting Saturday Night Live.
He also appeared on Sesame Street and A Different World.
Warner’s role in The Bill Cosby Show got him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 1986.
In his lifetime, Warner kept his private life out of the media. He occasionally shares some pictures of his wife and daughter, who was born in 2017.
However, very little is known about them.
