Doctor who desperately tried to save Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s life breaks silence as they recall chilling details of Cosby Show star’s drowning death

A doctor claims they tried to save the life of actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner prior to his tragic death via drowning at 54 Sunday in Costa Rica. 

The doctor, who did not want to be identified by name, told Us Weekly Thursday, ‘I was about 200 meters from the incident, at Playa Grande, spending the day on vacation with my partner.’

‘There were very few people on the beach, and the sea was rough.’ 

The doctor said they rushed to the area The Cosby Show actor was at, upon hearing a hubbub. 

‘I ran to the area and entered the sea with my surfboard, heading into the rip current toward the person being pointed at by some beachgoers,’ the doctor told the outlet. ‘After a few minutes, I saw a shadow, dove down and pulled the person out.’ 

The doctor said another beachgoer was in distress at the time too, describing the person ‘as just someone who tried to help during the emergency, without any rescue equipment.’

Costa Rica Atlantic region Tourist Police head Elberth León told the outlet that a pair of males were tended to at the scene, including the beloved actor, who portrayed Theo Huxtable on the 1980s smash hit.

‘Immediately, [first responders] began providing first aid to Malcolm, but he had no vital signs,’ León told the outlet. ‘Two tourists ran over to help. 

‘They identified themselves as doctors, making a total of three physicians at the scene.’

The other person was transported to a nearby medical facility in critical condition, and was subsequently released. 

León told the outlet that Warner and his eight-year-old daughter had been ensnared in a rip current at Playa Cocles in the Limon province.

A nearby Good Samaritan helped rescue the child back to shore, León said.

‘Obviously, as a father, he fought for his daughter, but the current in that area is very strong, and they couldn’t accomplish the objective,’ the public official said of the actor.

Officials with the Judicial Investigation Department in Costa Rica said that the actor died Sunday after he drowned while on a Caribbean beach in the country. 

A first report from the department said that the actor had been ‘rescued by people on the beach.’

Red Cross officials said that first responders who located Warner could not detect vital signs; and subsequently transferred him to a nearby morgue.

Warner’s career in entertainment spanned more than four decades, as he also had featured roles on sitcoms such as Malcolm & Eddie, Listen Up and Read Between the Lines and drama shows such as The Resident and Jeremiah.

Warner spoke with the AP in 2015 about his drive in maintaining his career after The Cosby Show went off the air nearly a quarter-century ago.

Said the actor, ‘I grew up with a maniacal obsession with not wanting to be one of those ‘Where are they now kids.’

‘I feel very blessed to be able to have all of these avenues of expression … to be where I am now and finally at a place where I can let go of that worry about having a life after Cosby.’

Warner, who received a nomination for an Emmy in 1986 for supporting actor in a comedy, told the AP in 2015 that the sex assault accusations against Cosby had ‘tarnished’ the legacy of the series, which virtually disappeared from heavy play in syndication amid Cosby’s legal issues.

‘My biggest concern is when it comes to images of people of color on television and film,’ Warner said. ‘We’ve always had The Cosby Show to hold up against that.

‘And the fact that we no longer have that, that’s the thing that saddens me the most because in a few generations the Huxtables will have been just a fairy tale.’