Malcolm-Jamal Warner has died at the age of 54. TMZ reported that the cause of death was an accidental drowning; further details are not known at this time. Warner was perhaps best known as one of the kids on "The Cosby Show." Warner played Theo Huxtable for eight seasons, and in that role, he earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series in 1986.
Warner was born on August 18, 1970, in Jersey City, New Jersey. In an Instagram post, he noted that his father named him
"after Malcolm x and Ahmad Jamal." (Malcolm X was a renowned civil rights advocate and Ahmad Jamal was a famous jazz pianist.) Warner's parents separated when he was 3 years old, and they divorced when he was 6. He grew up in California with his mother and was subsequently bitten the acting bug early.
Warner had two small TV roles before he was cast on "The Cosby Show," and along with working as an actor on-set, he directed some episodes and wrote music for the series. Other notable credits include Malcolm McGhee on four seasons of the sitcom "Malcolm & Eddie" in the late 1990s and Dr. AJ Austin on the FOX medical drama "The Resident." He also worked behind the camera. Warner directed episodes of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" and "Sesame Street," and he won an award for his film "Time Out: The Truth about HIV, AIDS, and You."
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Malcolm-Jamal Warner Was A Musician, Poet, Husband, And Father
Along with being an actor, Malcolm-Jamal Warner was a musician, poet, and bass player for the jazz-funk band, Miles Long. He released four albums. His most recent, a spoken word album titled "Hiding In Plain View," came out in 2022. Warner noted on Instagram that the album would be released on his dad's birthday. It earned him a Grammy nomination for Best Spoken Word Poetry Album that year. In 2015, he won the Grammy for Best Traditional R&B Performance for the song "Jesus Children." He performed at jazz festivals, including at the famed Hollywood Bowl and at the Apollo Theater.
When it came to his personal life, Warner kept things to himself. At the time of his death, he had a wife and daughter, though he kept their names private. Warner was previously romantically involved with Regina King and Michelle Thomas, who played his girlfriend, Justine Phillips, on "The Cosby Show." For a while, Warner was seemingly one of those stars who would never get married. In May 2025, on an episode of the "Hot & Bothered" podcast, Warner talked about thinking he'd never get married or have kids, but meeting his wife changed his mind on both counts.
His daughter turned 8 in June 2025, and he spoke about how the two of them watched "The Cosby Show" together when she was younger, although apparently Rudy was a more interesting character to her than he was. He'll surely be dearly missed by family and fans alike.
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