Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s Friends and Costar Remember his Spirit

Transcript

00:00Malcolm Jamal Warner, the beloved star of The Cosby Show, drowned while trying to save his

00:04daughter during a family vacation in Costa Rica. Co-stars and friends remember his enormous talent

00:09and generous spirit in this week's Us Weekly cover story. According to police, Warner and

00:14his daughter had been rinsing off sand when they took a quick dip and got dragged by a strong rip

00:20current. A bystander helped get his daughter safely to shore, but obviously as a father,

00:24Malcolm fought for his daughter, but the current in that area is very strong. Warner's Not All Hood

00:30podcast co-host Kelly tells us she last spoke to him on July 13th when he sent her a work email

00:36during his flight to Costa Rica, where he was meeting his wife and daughter for an extended

00:40vacation. She tells us, this was the guy who's like, I gotta go. My daughter's got her big party.

00:46He was just dad, a welcoming committee beholden to her. I remember one night he said, oh my,

00:52my daughter wants to pitch a tent tonight and sleep under the stars. His family was the light

00:57of his life. Warner, of course, was best known for playing the charming and relatable Theo Huxtable

01:02on the hit series, The Cosby Show, for eight seasons between 1984 and 1992. He leaves behind

01:09his wife, whom he wed in 2017, and his eight-year-old daughter. In a statement to us, Warner's on-screen

01:14dad, Bill Cosby, said learning about his co-star's death reminded him of when he got the call

01:20about his son Ennis' murder back in 1997. Angela Bassett, who co-starred with Warner on 9-1-1,

01:27told us in a statement, Malcolm is what's known as a soulful artist whose deep commitment to his craft

01:33left an impression on me that has never faded. Beyonce even dedicated the homepage of her website

01:39to Warner with a photo of the star and a message that read, thanks for being a part of our shared

01:44television history. You will be missed. Now, his prolific achievements aside, Warner will be most

01:50remembered by those closest to him as a great man with a huge heart. During an appearance on the May

01:5521st episode of the Hot and Bothered with Melissa Ford podcast, which was his final interview, he said

02:02that outside of his roles, he wants his legacy to be kindness. He said, I will be able to leave this

02:07earth knowing and people knowing that I was a good person.