Malcolm-Jamal Warner drowning: ‘The Cosby Show’ actor was swimming with 8-year-old daughter, who was rescued, when he died

Malcolm-Jamal Warner was swimming with his 8-year-old daughter on Sunday off the coast of Costa Rica when he drowned, police tell ABC News.

Surfers spotted the actor, best known for his role as Theo Huxtable in the hit TV sitcom “The Cosby Show,” and his daughter struggling and dove in to help.

A surfer used his board to bring Warner’s daughter to safety and a volunteer lifeguard pulled Warner and another surfer to shore, where warner was given 45 minutes of CPR, according to police.

Police told ABC News on Tuesday that an autopsy on Warner has been completed. The Forensic Pathology Department said that the autopsy confirmed Warner’s cause of death, which was described as asphyxiation by submersion, and was accidental.

Both surfers survived, police said.

Warner died near Cocles, a beach in Limon, Costa Rica, after getting caught by a rip current. He was 54.

ABC News contributed to this report.