Among Malcolm-Jamal Warner's many memorable roles as "Theo Huxtable" ("The Cosby Show"), "Sticky" ("Sons of Anarchy"), and "Dr AJ Austin" ("The Resident"), he was simply a lovely human being, not to mention an accomplished Yogi. I got to know my fellow Leo (we both had August birthdays), Mr. Warner, as Yoga instructor to Yoga practitioner, when I guided Yoga classes in my former life in Los Angeles. Warner had a truly beautiful spirit to match his winning smile, and an equally beautiful practice. He would joke with me after class that I was trying to kill him, but he was as strong as they come and exceptionally focused; gifts that no doubt helped him navigate the vagaries of a career in Hollywood.
We have seen the wreckage from child stars who were used up and spit out by the entertainment industry, but Warner was fortunate enough to bypass that. After growing up before our eyes on "The Cosby Show," he moved into buddy comedy in the UPN sitcom, "Malcolm & Eddie," with comedian Eddie Griffin. Warner ably shifted into drama on shows like "Sons of Anarchy," "Major Crimes," and "The Resident."
The last time Warner and I saw each other was in 2016, on a flight back to Los Angeles. He had been in Atlanta for a press junket, and I was returning from a Yoga teacher training. We laughed and chatted it up a bit before the flight took off, and did the "so glad we've landed safely and see you later," wave as we exited the plane after the long flight.
As Jack Kornfield said in Buddha’s Little Instruction Book: “The trouble is, you think you have time.” On Monday, it was announced that Malcolm-Jamal Warner suffered a drowning accident in Costa Rica while vacationing with his family. This precious soul and tremendous talent is dead at 54. Far too young for such an ending of this life, let alone in such a tragic way.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner, the actor perhaps best known for starring in the TV sitcom "The Cosby Show" as son Theodore "Theo" Huxtable, has died at 54.
Warner drowned off the coast of Costa Rica on Sunday, Costa Rican National Police told ABC News. Warner's official cause of death was asphyxia, police said.
Warner died near Cocles, a beach in Limon, Costa Rica, police said. Police said he was caught by a high current in the water and was discovered Sunday afternoon.
Warner was formally identified by Costa Rica's national police.
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Warner made his mark on the world, and into our hearts every Thursday as "Theo Huxtable" for all eight seasons of "The Cosby Show."
In 2023, Warner spoke to media personality Bevy Smith on her podcast "Bevelations" about the legacy of "The Cosby Show." Because of the allegations and subsequent conviction of sexual assault (aggravated indecent assault) by comedian, actor, and producer Bill Cosby, Smith asked Warner whether he felt the legacy of the show was irreversibly tainted. Warner was insightful in his response.
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"There's a generation of us who went to college, they sought out higher education because of that show. There's a generation of us that went and got married and had loving relationships with each other and their children because of that show. That impact is irreversible."
Malcolm-Jamal Warner was born August 18, 1970, and trained early in life to be an actor. Warner attended and graduated from The Professional Children's School in New York.
He made his first television appearance in an episode of the TV series "Matt Houston" in 1982 and also appeared in the "Fame" television series the following year.
In 1984, he landed his role in "The Cosby Show" alongside Bill Cosby, Phylicia Rashad, Lisa Bonet and more.
Following "The Cosby Show," Warner continued to appear in several television series including "The Michael J. Fox Show," "Key & Peele," "American Horror Story" and "Sons of Anarchy" in 2014, as well as "Suits" and "American Crime Story" in 2016.
In 2011, he starred in the BET comedy series "Reed Between the Lines," alongside Tracee Ellis Ross.
He also starred in several films, including "The List" in 2007, "Fool's Gold" in 2008 and "Shot" in 2017.
Warner continued in his acting career with appearances in shows like "9-1-1" and the latest Fox/Hulu streaming series, "Alert: Missing Persons Unit." But he also poured himself into music and spoken word. In between takes of his sitcom, "Malcolm & Eddie," Warner took up the bass for fun and excelled at it. In 2015, Warner earned a Grammy Award alongside Robert Glasper Experiment and Lalah Hathaway for their cover of Stevie Wonder's "Jesus Children of America." Warner was also nominated for a Grammy in 2023 for the spoken word-poetry album, "Hiding In Plain View."
Last year, Warner started his own podcast, "Not All Hood," with co-host Candace Kelly. I applauded this endeavor and related to its focus. Not all Black people come from broken homes or are marked for trouble and struggle. Our triumphs, as well as our tragedies, are unique and varied, and it was forward-thinking that Warner and his co-host wanted to have these types of discussions that are too often ignored by legacy media.
He told People in May 2024 that the podcast was a space for him to "be as vulnerable as I allow myself to be."
"So many of our Black images and so much of our Black music shows one side of our Black culture," he said. "We want to make sure that we can balance that out with the many other aspects of Black culture out there."
In 2013, Warner told the Archive of American Television that his "proudest achievement" in life was "being able to have a post-Cosby life and post-Cosby career and still have my head on as straight as possible."
"I've had such an awesome life," he said at the time. "I've got my ups and downs and all of that, but if I die tomorrow, I know I would go with a smile on my face."
He added, "I have peace of mind and for me, you can't put a price on that. And I can definitely say that I feel successful in my post-Cosby life and having a peace of mind."
Warner leaves behind a wife and daughter. RIP, my friend. I hope to see you on the other side.