The actor, best known for portraying Theodore Huxtable on eight seasons of iconic family sitcom “The Cosby Show”, died on Sunday while vacationing in Costa Rica. The cause of death has been determined as accidental drowning, authorities said.
According to Costa Rican police, Warner died near Cocles, a beach in Limon, Costa Rica, after getting caught by a rip current Sunday afternoon. Bystanders rescued him and took him to shore, where he received treatment, though he was declared dead by the Costa Rican Red Cross.
The 54-year-old actor began his acting career as a kid. His big break came in 1984 when he was cast in “The Cosby Show” alongside Bill Cosby, Phylicia Rashad, Lisa Bonet, Raven-Symone, and more. For his role in the series, Warner was nominated for an Emmy. The actor later starred with Eddie Griffin in the 1996-2000 sitcom “Malcolm & Eddie,” and as Dr. Alex Reed in the BET sitcom “Reed Between the Lines.” Warner most recently starred in the Fox medical drama “The Resident” for five of the show’s six seasons. Throughout the years, he also appeared in guest roles on dozens of television shows
Acting isn’t the only art form that Warner delved into. In 2015, he won a Grammy Award for best traditional R&B performance alongside Robert Glasper Experiment and Lalah Hathaway for their cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Jesus Children of America.”
Warner is survived by a wife and a daughter, whose identities he chose to keep private.