Star of hit sitcom dead in holiday tragedy

A star of one of the biggest US sitcoms of all time has died at the age of 54 while on a family holiday in Costa Rica.

The Cosby Show star Malcolm-Jamal Warner has died at age 54.

Warner passed away Sunday after drowning on a family holiday in Costa Rica, the Costa Rican National Police confirmed to ABC news in the US.

Police told the outlet he was caught by a high current in the water and was discovered Sunday afternoon near Cocles, a beach in Limon.

Warner’s official cause of death was asphyxiation, officials told ABC.

Warner’s rep did not respond to request for comment.

Warner was an Emmy-nominated actor who got his big break as a child star. Picture: Danny Moloshok/Invision/AP

Warner (top centre) with his Cosby Show co-stars. Picture: Frank Carroll/NBCU Photo Bank

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A woman named Kimara claiming to be his cousin wrote about the alleged drowning via X overnight, hours before news broke of Warner’s death.

“My cousin died yesterday after drowning in costa rica,” she wrote. “Yall pls be safe out here while travelling and doing water sports. Wear life jackets etc.

“Staying off socials for the rest of the day cuz seeing his face all over is hurting my feelings bad,” Kimara continued in a separate tweet.

The Emmy nominee, who kept his family life private over the years, is survived by a wife and a daughter whose names are not known.

As Theodore 'Theo' Huxtable, Warner (top centre) was a key cast member of one of the biggest US sitcoms of all time. Picture: Getty

Warner is best known for playing Theodore Huxtable on The Cosby Show from 1984 to 1992.

He went on to star in Malcolm & Eddie from 1996 to 2000, followed by Reed Between the Lines from 2011 to 2015.

Warner also had roles in Suits, The Resident and more shows.

His most recent projects included 9-1-1 and Alert: Missing Persons Unit.

Over the last year, Warner has co-hosted the “Not All Hood” podcast, with the latest episode airing Friday.

This story originally appeared on Page Six and is republished here with permission.

Originally published as Star of hit sitcom dead in holiday tragedy