CPR was performed for over half an hour on the “Cosby Show” actor after he was pulled from the water.
WASHINGTON — An official cause of death for actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner has confirmed he died of drowning while swimming off Costa Rica’s coast, reports say, as new details have begun to emerge about the final minutes of the Warner’s life.
According to ABC News and other outlets, an autopsy was performed on Warner, finding that he died from asphyxiation by submersion, which was was accidental.
Warner’s daughter scooped from the water
The actor, who was best known for his role as Theo Huxtable in the hit TV show “The Cosby Show,” died Sunday while swimming with his 8-year-old daughter.
Police officials reportedly told ABC News that surfers noticed Warner and his daughter struggling in the waves, and rushed out to help.
One of the surfers managed to reach the child and pulled her up onto his board. He and the 8-year-old made it safely back to shore.
Surfers rush to the rescue, one injured
People Magazine reports that a 29-year-old from Nicaragua was the other surfer, who stayed to help Warner. The surfer was trying to help the actor, according to the Judicial Investigation Agency of Costa Rica, when he was “swept away by a current.”
A volunteer lifeguard reportedly managed to pull Warner and the 29-year-old surfer back to shore. Chest compressions were started on Warner, and CPR continued for at least 45 minutes.
Mike Geist, the vice president of the Caribbean Guard Lifeguard group, told CNN that the lifeguard who was eventually able to recover Warner found him underneath the waves.
Geist described the lifeguard realizing somebody was in the water and jumping in, where he “was able to find Mr. Warner, unfortunately, below the surface near the floor of the ocean. (The lifeguard) was able to pull him to the surface and perform the emergency protocol that we have in place. When that wasn’t effective, then he was able to quickly remove him from the water.”
Geist said two doctors who were on vacation at the beach jumped in to help, performing CPR for over half an hour.
“Between the three of them they were able to provide… CPR for more than 30 minutes, probably more like 45 minutes,” he said. “Unfortunately it was not successful.”
The surfer who was pulled away by the current while trying to rescue Warner was taken to the hospital in critical condition, according to People, but has since made a full recovery and was discharged.
Warner leaves a Hollywood legacy behind
The 54-year-old actor is best known for his role as Theo Huxtable, the only son of Cosby’s character, on “The Cosby Show.” Warner’s performance earned him a Primetime Emmy nomination for best supporting actor in a comedy in 1986.
Following his time on “The Cosby Show,” Warner played Malcolm McGee on the 90s’ sitcom “Malcolm & Eddie.” The 54-year-old actor had credits in dozens of television shows over the years, including “Grown-ish,” “9-1-1” and “Alert: Missing Persons Unit.”
Most recently, the New Jersey native starred as AJ Austin on the medical drama “The Resident.”
Aside from acting, Warner was a Grammy-winning musician. He won an award for best traditional R&B performance in 2015 and was nominated for a Grammy in 2023 for best spoken world poetry album.
Last year, Warner launched a podcast alongside Weusi Baraka and Candance Kelly called “Not All Hood,” The podcast explored the diverse experiences of the Black community and representations in media.
“When we talk about the Black community, we tend to speak of it as a monolith when the reality is there are so many different facets of the Black community, and we wanted to have a space where we can really explore, discuss, and acknowledge all of those different aspects,” Warner said in an interview with People last year
Great Job & the Team @ WFAA RSS Feed: news Source link for sharing this story.
