NEED TO KNOW
Stars are paying tribute to actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner following his sudden death.
On Monday, July 21, a source confirmed to PEOPLE that the actor died in a drowning accident while swimming during a family vacation in Costa Rica. He was 54 years old.
Authorities in Costa Rica have since confirmed the actor’s cause of death to be the result of drowning.
ABC reported that the Costa Rican National Police confirmed Warner drowned off the coast on Sunday, July 20. His death was ruled to be a result of asphyxia, police told the outlet.
Warner was well known for his time on The Cosby Show as the only son of Bill Cosby’s character, Heathcliff Huxtable, which he played from 1984 to 1992.
NBCU Photo Bank
He went on to appear in other popular projects, including his and Eddie Griffin’s titular sitcom Malcolm & Eddie from 1996 to 2000, Reed Between the Lines, which he starred in alongside Tracee Ellis Ross, from 2011 to 2015, as well as recurring roles in Suits, The Resident and 9-1-1, among others.
After news of Warner’s death broke, several famous friends and former co-stars mourned the loss.
Griffin posted a photo of his on and off-screen best friend to his Instagram Story with the caption: “My Big little Brother 🙏🏾♥️🙏🏾”
Eddie Griffin/Instagram/Getty
Marlee Matlin, who directed the season 2 episode of Accused that Warner guest starred in, honored him on Instagram.
“I am so sad to read of the untimely passing of Malcolm Jamal Warner,” she wrote in the caption, alongside a photo of them at a panel in 2023. “He was the nicest guy and it was a privilege to have been in the same company with him, sharing a directors’ panel along with @HowardmGordon and Michael Chiklis. My heart goes out to his family and friends. RIP Malcolm.”
Randy Shropshire/Deadline via Getty
Others shared touching messages in the comments of PEOPLE’s obituary post on Instagram.
“WTF…. Wow. This is heartbreaking 😢😢😢” wrote comedian Kevin Hart, before adding, “RIP king…. Woooow”
While Ricki Lake commented, “Omg!!!!!!! 💔💔💔,” while actress Jennie Garth simply left a series of broken hearts: “💔 💔💔”
“WHATTTTT 💔💔💔💔💔💔💔,” Holly Robinson Peete commented.
Patti LaBelle reacted with a string of emojis: “🙏🏾❤️🙏🏾❤️.” Mario Lopez shared three red heart emojis.
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Warner is survived by a wife and daughter, whose identities he opted to keep private.
