Associated Press reports this terrible news:

Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who as teenage son Theo Huxtable on “The Cosby Show,” was central to a cultural phenomenon that helped define the 1980s, died at age 54 in an accidental drowning in Costa Rica, authorities there said Monday.

I’m gutted. And such a harrowing way to go.

Malcolm-Jamal Warner as Theo Huxtable was like the brother I never got a chance to meet but always knew what he was up to. Almost exactly one year younger than me, Warner’s Theo and I grew up together, two Black male Brooklynites navigating our teenage and young adult years. I often saw myself reflected in Theo—our overconfidence undercut by our awkwardness, intelligence tempered by academic anxiety, even our mutual slovenliness—everything about Warner’s Theo felt familiar, relatable, and real—albeit a more heightened, absurd, and infinitely funnier reality.

Kevin Fallon at The Daily Beast:

Theo was a conduit for the modern teenager in the ’80s and ’90s: a sense of entitlement and arrogance permeating the usual haplessness that accompany coming of age. That it rang so true—hilarious, endearing, and often profound—is because of the performance of Malcolm-Jamal Warner.

Watching scenes of Warner from The Cosby Show—as difficult as it was given what we know of its namesake—reminded me of just how incredibly talented he was, with boundless energy, impeccable timing, and irresistible charm.

A truly tragic loss.

See also: The New York Times obituary and The Rolling Stone tribute to Warner’s most memorable moment on the show.