Bill Cosby has mourned Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who died at the age of 54.
Cosby’s spokesperson, Andrew Wyatt, said Warner’s death reminded Cosby of his own son’s death.
“He found a way to talk about Malcolm even though he was sad,” Wyatt said in an interview with People Magazine, noting that Warner had recently been in touch with Cosby after a concert in Minnesota.
“They spoke all the time. He said, ‘Malcolm was changing humanity.’”
Reflecting on Warner’s dedication to the show, Cosby said, “He was never afraid to go to his room and study. He knew his lines and was quite comfortable, even with the growing pains of being a teenager.”
He recalled their last conversation, three months earlier, which focused on Warner’s Art in Motion concert with the Minnesota Orchestra — something Cosby said Warner was “very proud of.”
Cosby said Warner’s death reminded him of his son William Cosby, who died in 1997 after being fatally shot at age 27 during an attempted robbery while changing a flat tire on a Los Angeles freeway ramp.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner died after drowning during a family vacation.
A statement from Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Agency said they had “removed the body of a man who died as a result of asphyxiation by submersion.”
Warner was swept out to sea by a strong current. Although bystanders pulled him ashore and administered emergency aid, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Warner rose to prominence as a child star, portraying the only son of Cliff and Clair Huxtable from 1984 to 1992.
His portrayal of Theo, a relatable teenager navigating adolescence, resonated with millions and made him a household name.
Despite later controversies surrounding the show’s star, Bill Cosby, Warner consistently expressed immense pride in The Cosby Show’s groundbreaking legacy and its profound impact on both Black and American culture.