THE Cosby Show actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s mom has broken her silence on her son’s tragic death after more details have emerge about his drowning.
Malcolm, 54, was dragged into the ocean by a strong rip current after going for a swim in waters off the coast of Cocles, a beach in Limon, Costa Rica.
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Malcolm, one of the stars of the 1980s sitcom, was in Costa Rica, about three hours southeast of the capital of San Jose, enjoying a family holiday when he drowned.
Three weeks since the star’s death, the actor’s mom Pamela Warner has now revealed that her son “did not suffer” in his final moments.
Sharing an an emotional message on the newly-created Instagram page, Malcolm-Jamal Warner Living Legacy, she said: “For those of you who are at a loss, pained by the suddenness of his departure, ache for his presence or just to hear his voice one more time, to see his beatific smile one more time, be comforted that he was at peace and more importantly, he did not suffer.”
“Malcolm was birthed through water and transitioned through water,” she added. “This was his time. His mission on earth had been completed.”
She then encouraged loved ones and fans to “hold close to whatever part of Malcolm’s life that touched yours.”
“In keeping it near, you keep his spirit alive — nourishing you with the peace, love, joy and light that embodied Malcolm-Jamal Warner,” Pamela added.
She said her son was an “exceptional husband, father, and son — a man deeply in love with life, his wife, and his daughter.”
“He was not only my son, but also my teacher, coach, confidant, business partner, and best friend. He was the son that his father was immensely proud of and loved fiercely and unconditionally,” the grieving mom wrote.
Pamela said: “Malcolm left an indelible mark on the world and on countless hearts. All who met him, however briefly, were better for the encounter.”
CAUSE OF DEATH
Further details surrounding the TV star’s sad passing have also emerged.
Haunting moment Cosby Show star Malcolm-Jamal Warner discusses his ‘immortality’ & TV legacy just weeks before death
The Costa Rican Caribbean lifeguards said fellow beachgoers pulled the actor’s body from the waters back onto shore, but the actor had no vital signs.
“He was pulled underwater with no vital signs, and despite CPR on the beach, he was unsuccessful,” Costa Rican officials said in a statement on Facebook.
An autopsy confirmed Warner died from asphyxiation by submersion, the Costa Rican police forensic pathology department said.
Malcolm’s death was ultimately ruled accidental.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s life
Warner began his stardom on “The Cosby Show” as character Theodore Huxtable, earning him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
He then went on to play Malcolm McGee in the sitcom Malcolm & Eddie, and starred in shows like Reed Between the Lines, Sons of Anarchy, American Horror Story: Freak Show, and Suits.
Warner was also a voice actor in The Magic School Bus, an iconic children’s television show that aired in the 90s.
Alongside acting, Warner was a poet and a bass player, earning his first Grammy in 2015 for “Best Traditional R&B Performance as a Featured Performer.”
Most recently, he hosted the podcast Not All Hood, which “takes a provocative look at the vastly different lived experiences and identities of Blacks in America,” according to its website.
STAR REMEMBERED
Malcolm was best remembered for his work on The Cosby Show as Theodore Huxtable, the hilarious son of Bill Cosby’s Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable.
The Cosby Show became a smash hit 30 years ago, with the actor playing the only son of Cosby’s character in the sitcom from 1984 to 1992.
Malcolm previously reflected on his time on the iconic sitcom, telling People in 2023, and said: “I know I can speak for all the cast when I say The Cosby Show is something that we are all still very proud of.
“We share a unique experience that keeps us lovingly bonded no matter how much time goes between seeing or hearing from each other.”
Actor Bill Cosby, the disgraced actor who was jailed in 2018 then freed after his sexual assault conviction was overturned, said the news of Malcolm’s passing reminded him of his own son’s murder.
“When Bill got the call that Warner died on vacation in Costa Rica, it reminded him of being in the studio filming ‘The Cosby Show’ in January 1997, when he got a call informing him that his son Ennis Cosby was shot dead in a failed robbery attempt,” Cosby’s representative, Andrew Wyatt, told TMZ.
Cosby’s representative went on to say how Malcolm and Ennis used to play when they were younger and the pair were “amazing together.”
Malcolm is survived by his wife and daughter.
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