Yesterday, it was reported that Malcolm-Jamal Warner died at the age of 54. Reportedly, the former Cosby Show star was swimming while on a family vacation in Costa Rica when he got caught in a rip current and drowned. Bystanders tried to rescue him and brought him to shore. Unfortunately, however, he could not be revived despite their best efforts.
The tragic and untimely loss has earned reactions from countless fans and peers. Bill Cosby, for example, recently weighed in during an interview with ABC News. The actor played Warner's father for eight seasons of their hit show, and looked back on that time fondly. Cosby said, "He was always a great studier, and I enjoyed working with him very much."
"He was very professional," Cosby added, "He always knew his part... He always knew his lines, and he always knew where to go."
Malcolm-Jamal Warner Death
Cosby went on to reveal that the late actor had called him "regularly," making it clear they had maintained a relationship even after the show ended. “While I was their TV dad, I never stopped being a father to them," he explained. Warner's character Theo Huxtable was loosely based on Cosby's real son Ennis, who was murdered in 1997. Cosby pointed out some of the similarities between Theo and Ennis, even revealing that his son was friends with Warner when they were kids.
A spokesperson for Cosby, Andrew Wyatt, told PEOPLE that learning of Warner's passing “reminded him of the same call he received when his son died.”
Cosby is far from the only person who is heartbroken over Warner's passing. Tracee Ellis Ross, Eddie Griffin, Niecy Nash, Angela Bassett, and more have also shared touching tributes to him.
