Malcolm-Jamal Warner, the celebrated actor best known for his role as Theodore “Theo” Huxtable on The Cosby Show, has died at 54. His death, first reported by TMZ, was an apparent drowning.
Warner was just 14 years old when he was cast as Bill Cosby’s on-screen son in the iconic sitcom, a role he played from its premiere in 1984 until its conclusion in 1992. During this period, he also hosted Saturday Night Live and made guest appearances on Sesame Street and the spinoff series A Different World.
His extensive career continued with diverse roles, including co-starring with Eddie Griffin in the sitcom Malcolm & Eddie from 1996 to 2000 and lending his voice to The Producer on the animated series The Magic School Bus from 1994 to 1997. In recent years, Warner held recurring roles in the dramas The Resident and 9-1-1, as well as shows like Jeremiah, Sherri, and Reed Between the Lines.
Beyond his acting credits, Warner was a Grammy-winning musician, honored in 2015 for Best Traditional R&B Performance for the song “Jesus Children” with Robert Glasper Experiment and Lalah Hathaway.
Known for being highly private, Warner is reportedly survived by his wife and a daughter, who was born in 2017. He had shared photos of his family on social media but kept their identities private. No further details were immediately available.
