Malcolm-Jamal Warner's 8-year-old daughter was swimming with him when he drowned: Reports

Dubai: Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s 8-year-old daughter was swimming alongside him when he tragically drowned in Costa Rica on July 20, according to a report in People.

The Cosby Show star, 54, was on a family vacation when the incident occurred, and while he couldn’t be saved, a surfer managed to pull his daughter to safety using a surfboard.

According to a report from ABC News, Warner and his daughter began struggling in the water off the Costa Rican coast. Surfers nearby spotted them in distress and jumped into action. “One surfer reportedly used his board to pull Warner’s daughter to safety."

Despite efforts to resuscitate Warner, including 45 minutes of CPR administered on the beach, the actor could not be revived. Dr. Mauricio Sonalo Corella, Medical Director for the Talamanca Health Area, told People, that a man who had attempted to help Warner was treated and discharged from hospital without complications.

Warner, who kept his personal life private, had never revealed the name of his wife or daughter publicly. But he often spoke with deep pride about fatherhood. In a 2021 Instagram post, he affectionately referred to their child as their "mini us."

In 2023, Warner posted a nostalgic video of himself dancing with his daughter as a baby. "Yoooo! Y’all remember this? Man, time flies! I was playing this song in the car over the weekend and my baby didn’t even remember it," he wrote. "We used to play it all the time when she was 1... I’m happy to say that this beautiful song is now back in rotation."

The Emmy-nominated actor became a household name as Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show, and later starred in Malcolm & Eddie, Reed Between the Lines, and voiced numerous projects. In 2024, he launched a podcast, Not All Hood, which he co-hosted with Weusi Baraka and Candace Kelley.

“When we talk about the Black community, we tend to speak of it as a monolith,” he told PEOPLE shortly before the podcast’s debut. “The reality is there are so many different facets... We wanted a space to explore, discuss, and acknowledge all of those aspects.”

Warner is survived by his wife, daughter, and countless fans who admired his work and his warmth.