Malcolm-Jamal Warner Was Swimming With His Daughter, 8, When He Drowned

Shortly after, Costa Rican National Police confirmed to ABC News that Warner’s official cause of death was asphyxia.

In the days following Warner’s death, friends and former cast members—including Bill Cosby, Tracee Ellis Ross and Raven-Symone—expressed their heartbreak over the tragedy.

“I love you, Malcolm,” Ross wrote in a July 21 Instagram post alongside pictures of the pair. “First I met you as Theo with the rest of the world then you were my first TV husband. My heart is so so sad.”

As for how Warner wanted to be remembered himself? Two months before his death, he shared exactly what he wanted his legacy to be.

"I will be able to leave this earth knowing and people knowing that I was a good person," Warner said during a May 21 episode of the Hot & Bothered with Melyssa Ford podcast. "[My dad] said to me often, 'You know people love you, and people [are] always talking about your career and your success and all of that, but what really makes me the most proud is that you are a good person.'"

Along with his iconic role as Theodore Huxtable on the NBC sitcom, the actor also starred on several major series including Reed Between the Lines and The Resident.

"I remember my mother said to me one time that, 'Mr. Cosby gave you immortality,' so I know on one lane there's legacy there," he shared. "But then, because I've had this full life after that show, there's another lane of legacy that I get to leave."

Keep reading to look back at Warner’s life in photos.