FILE - Actor and musician Malcolm-Jamal Warner poses for a portrait in Los Angeles, Oct. 8, 2015. (Photo by Danny Moloshok/Invision/AP, File)
Hearts collectively broke across the entertainment industry when news broke about the death of Malcolm-Jamal Warner. As the grieving period continues, more details have been surfacing about the icon’s accidental drowning in South America this week. A new report from ABC6 says that Warner’s eight-year-old daughter had been swimming with him when the incident happened.
As previously reported, Warner lost his life while vacationing in Costa Rica. Authorities said he was swimming at Playa Cocoles in the Limon province when a current pulled him deeper into the ocean. Beachgoers had rescued him, but Red Cross first responders reportedly found no vital signs of life upon examining him. He allegedly received over 45 minutes of CPR before his body was transported to the morgue. Warner was 54.
Warner was married with a young daughter, but chose not to disclose their names publicly. His representatives declined immediate comment on his death, per the Associated Press.
ABC News reported on Wednesday that Malcolm was at Playa Cocoles swimming with his child when the current took over. Like him, beachgoers rescued her, too. The outlet cited police as the source of the update. No other details are known about Malcom’s daughter and recovery, but the outlet said a surfer brought her to shore on his board. Additionally, a volunteer lifeguard allegedly pulled Warner and another surfer to shore, per ABC. Two surfers survived, but it’s unclear if the late actor’s daughter is being counted as one. The identity of others involved remains unclear.The outlet notes that Warner’s autopsy is completed, with his official cause of death being accidental “asphyxiation by submersion.”
Malcolm-Jamal Warner was that guy in the ’80s and early ’90s, and he didn’t stop being a fan favorite in the years leading up to his death. He will forever be the teen icon etched in the memories of ‘The Cosby Show’ fans. Gen X knows. The late actor played teen son, Theo Huxtable, on the hit series. Episodes reflected family and parenting life, with Theo and his dad, played by Bill Cosby, often getting into it as the only son. As AP puts it, Malcolm-Jamal Warner became a prime representation of American teenage life and Black boyhood on a major network show for over a decade. He was 13 years old when he landed the role after an audition.
Associated Press writers JAVIER CORDOBA, ANDREW DALTON, and JOCELYN NOVECK contributed to this report via AP Newsroom.
