It’s been a tough 24 hours for Hollywood and Black TV lovers, as we grieve the loss of actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner. Warner was first introduced to audiences as Theo Huxtable on “The Cosby Show” and has remained Black culture’s cousin Theo for decades after the show’s ending. So just as fans flooded timelines with their reactions to the actor’s death, Warner’s TV family from the hit 80s sitcom are grieving the news of Warner’s tragic drowning and ultimate passing in Costa Rica.
Bill Cosby, who played Warner’s television dad on “The Cosby Show,” mourned the actor’s death in an interview with ABC6.
“When the news came, it was shocking,” Cosby told the outlet. “My thoughts went straight to his mother, who worked so hard. She was so wonderful with him…You could depend on Malcolm to learn his lines, to gather his character to come out and be ready.”
The 88-year-old’s representative, Andrew Wyatt, told People Magazine that the news of Warner’s passing “reminded [Cosby] of the same call he received when his son died.” Cosby’s only son, Ennis William Cosby, was murdered in 1997 at 27 years old.
Recalling how Ennis and Warner used to play together, Wyatt describes Warner’s tragic passing as “devastating.” Warner, who played Cosby’s only son on “The Cosby Show,” reportedly kept in contact with Cosby through the years. In a conversation with CBS News’ Jericka Duncan, Cosby revealed that the last time he had spoken to the late actor was 3 months before his death, where they discussed a concert.
“He was very proud of what he had done,” Cosby said, reflecting on his last conversation with Warner. When asked what he wanted people to remember about the actor, Cosby stressed his work ethic.
“He was never afraid to go to his room and study. He knew his lines. And he was quite comfortable even with the growing pains of being a teenager,” the 88-year-old comedian noted.
“They spoke all the time,” Wyatt added, per People magazine. “[Cosby] said ‘Malcolm was changing humanity.’”
Cosby also revealed that he and Phylicia Rashad, who played Claire Huxtable, grieved their co-star’s death together over the phone, stating that they were “embracing each other over the phone about a dearly beloved friend.”
Fellow “The Cosby Show” co-star Geoffrey Owens, who played Warner’s brother-in-law, Elvin, expressed that the star’s death left him “speechless.”
“Malcolm was a lovely man; a sweet and sensitive soul. I respected him for many reasons, including the fact that he genuinely loved the act of creation. He had the mind of an actor and the heart of a musician. He was generous, too; I did a theater project long ago and asked him to participate, and he was there for me. My heart goes out to his family,” he continued in a statement per Deadline.
Raven-Symoné, who appeared in the last three seasons of the hit sitcom at age three, shared an emotional statement on Instagram.
“Words cannot describe the pain, sadness, and surprise that I feel with the recent loss of MJW. He was a big brother. He was a beacon. He was one of the most multifaceted, talented men…so gentle. He gave the best advice. He gave the best hugs, and his smile will always be a huge, bright, white smile in my head forever. I love you and I know you’re watching over all of us now,” the actress said in the video statement, extending “hugs and kisses” to Warner’s daughter, wife, and mother.
