Malcolm-Jamal Warner, star of "The Cosby Show," drowned in Costa Rica at the age of 54

Known for his supporting role on "The Cosby Show," American actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner died after accidentally drowning in Costa Rica, the country's police announced on Monday, July 21. The 54-year-old actor died of "asphyxiation" on Sunday after drowning on Coles de Cahuita beach in the southeast of the country, according to a report by the Costa Rican judicial police.

"A current apparently pushed him out to sea" while swimming, according to the report. The actor was rescued by people on the beach, but Red Cross members later found him dead. According to the American press, Malcolm-Jamal Warner was on vacation in Costa Rica. Contacted by Agence France-Presse and the Associated Press, his representatives declined to comment immediately.

The Cosby Show, a popular 1980s television series, influenced a generation in the United States by chronicling the fate of an upper-middle-class African-American family. The actor played Theo, the youngest son of the Huxtable family. He played this role for eight seasons, appearing in each of the series' 197 episodes and even receiving an Emmy Award nomination in 1986.

For many, the lasting image of the character, and of the actor, is the now-memorable scene in which he wears a fake designer shirt that was poorly sewn by his sister Denise, played by Lisa Bonet. The "Gordon Gartrell" shirt later became an internet meme, while Anthony Mackie wore one on Jimmy Fallon's "The Tonight Show." Warner's Instagram profile picture shows a toddler wearing a similar shirt.

Malcolm-Jamal Warner continued his acting career, notably in his own soap opera, "Malcolm & Eddie," co-starring with comedian Eddie Griffin on the now-defunct UPN network from 1996 to 2000. In the 2010s, he starred opposite Tracee Ellis Ross as a couple who blend families for two seasons on the BET sitcom " Reed Between the Lines ." He also played O.J. Simpson's friend Al Cowlings on "American Crime Story" and was a series regular on "The Resident ." His most notable roles include the 2008 romantic comedy "Fool's Gold ," which co-starred Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson.

NBA star Magic Johnson was among those who paid tribute to him on Monday. He said on X that he and his wife were saddened to learn of their friend's death. "We were both huge fans of The Cosby Show and continued to follow his career," he said, adding, "Whenever I met Malcolm, we would have deep and fun conversations about basketball, life, and business. We will truly miss him."

"I first met you as Theo to the rest of the world, and then you were my first husband on television," Tracee Ellis Ross said on Instagram, paying tribute to a " warm, sweet, present, kind, thoughtful, deep, funny, elegant actor and friend."

A poet and musician, Mr. Warner also won a Grammy for Best Traditional R&B Performance and was nominated for Best Spoken Word Poetry Album for Hiding in Plain View . He was married for about ten years and had a daughter who was about 5 years old, but chose not to disclose her name.

Like the rest of The Cosby Show cast, Malcolm-Jamal Warner has in recent years had to deal with sexual assault allegations against titular star Bill Cosby, whose conviction in a Pennsylvania court was later overturned . In 2015, he told the Associated Press that the show's legacy was "tarnished . " "My biggest concern is the portrayal of people of color on television and in film ," Warner said. "We've always had The Cosby Show to push back against that. And the fact that we don't have that anymore is the thing that saddens me the most because in a few generations, The Huxtables will have been nothing more than a fairy tale."

"I grew up with a maniacal obsession with not wanting to be one of those 'where are they now' kids," Warner said. He added, "I feel very fortunate to have all these outlets available to me ... to be where I am today and finally in a place where I can let go of this worry about having a life after Cosby ."