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Magic Johnson Mourns the Unexpected Passing of a ‘Dear Friend’ on Monday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Dean Koutouratsas | Last updated Jul 21, 2025 8:24 PM ET

Malcom-Jamal Warner, who portrayed the beloved character Theo Huxtable on “The Cosby Show,” died at 54 in Costa Rica in a drowning accident, according to the Associated Press.

The report claimed that Warner drowned on Sunday afternoon on a beach on the country’s Caribbean coast. He was swimming at Playa Cocles in Limon province when a current pulled him deeper into the water.

Following his death, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class of 2002 inductee Magic Johnson mourned his passing. “Cookie and I are sad to hear about the passing of our dear friend Malcom-Jamal Warner,” he wrote on X.

“We were both super fans of the hit Cosby Show and continued to follow his career on shows like Malcom and Eddie and The Resident.”

Cookie and I are sad to hear about the passing of our dear friend Malcolm-Jamal Warner. We were both super fans of the hit Cosby Show and continued to follow his career on shows like Malcolm and Eddie and The Resident. Every time I ran into Malcolm, we would have deep and fun…
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) July 21, 2025

Warner was on “The Cosby Show” from 1984-92. He also appeared in television series such as “Jeremiah,” “A Different World” and “Here and Now,” while Johnson led the Los Angeles Lakers from 1979-91 before making a brief comeback in 1995-96.

“Every time I ran into Malcom, we would have deep and fun conversations about basketball, life and business,” Johnson added. “He will truly be missed . Cookie and I are praying [for] his family and close friends during this difficult time.”

Warner was in films such as “Drop Zone” (1994), “Fool’s Gold” (2008), “The Tuskegee Airmen” (1995) and “Tyson” (1995). He also received a Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Performance for the song “Jesus Children” alongside Robert Glasper Experiment and Lalah Hathaway.

On the other hand, Johnson became a successful businessman after his NBA career ended by becoming a part-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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