Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s mother provides more details of his death
Nearly two months after Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s tragic drowning death in Costa Rica, his mother, Pamela, sat with Robin Roberts of “Good Morning America” Tuesday to talk about her son’s legacy and provided fresh details on what led to his death.
“The Cosby Show” actor, who lived in Atlanta in recent years with his wife, Tenisha, and his 8-year-old daughter, drowned July 20 while on vacation.
Pamela Warner said she is “at peace with everything that happened,” but his wife and daughter are still in “deep grief.”
Pamela’s granddaughter, whose name has not been revealed, “watched them resuscitate him, try to resuscitate him. She saw that, and I know that’s awfully, awfully traumatic.”
She added, “She loved her father dearly. She adored Papa. He was Papa.”
Pamela said her granddaughter, who is homeschooled, was in Costa Rica for a Spanish immersion program. Warner arrived during the program’s third and final week for “the fun part” of the program.
Her granddaughter was not in the water at the time of her father’s drowning. He was with another man, who was unnamed. “They were in the water, I think maybe chest deep, even at that, maybe waist deep,” Pamela said. “There was an undertow, and my son was not an experienced swimmer. He did not know how to deal with an undertow.”
While the other man was able to escape, Warner did not.
Pamela noted how much he loved his family and that she was “grateful I was chosen to be his mother. ... There was nothing left on the table. There was no shoulda, coulda, woulda. ... I don’t have that. I feel that our journey together as mother and son was complete.”
Malcolm-Jamal Warner moved to Atlanta in the late 2010s after landing a regular role as a surgeon on the Fox medical drama “The Resident” in its second season. He decided to stay in Atlanta even after the show was canceled in 2023.
He became a fixture in local poetry and music circles as a passionate writer, poet and Grammy Award-winning bassist. He was part of Biological Misfits, a band that played in bars and lounges around town.
“I think the comradery, the vibe, the energy, the connection that we have, it’s almost palpable,” Warner told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution earlier this year. “And the vibe that we have is based on not just the music but how we interact with each other, how we respect each other, how much fun we have together.”
Warner had kept wife Tenisha’s identity under wraps since they married in 2017. On Sept. 12, she revealed herself on Instagram for the first time to express her gratitude for the fan reaction following her husband’s death.
“Thank you for holding us in so much love during this tender time,” she wrote. “For the first time, I’m sharing a glimpse of the love that began it all. I can still hear my husband’s laugh, still feel the way he made room for every part of me ― every tear, every dream.”
She also announced the launch of charitable organizations River & Ember and the Warner Family Foundation.
According to its website, River & Ember is “about creating rituals that outlast us — the kind our children will carry as a legacy." The Warner Family Foundation features a scholarship fund to honor Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s “truth by nurturing the next generation of poets, painters, musicians, performers, and interdisciplinary creators whose work carries courage, freedom, and authenticity.”
“Together, we carry the legacy my husband and I began - one that nurtures children’s inner light and gives young artists the freedom to create outside the lines,” Tenisha wrote.
Phylicia Rashad, Warner’s “Cosby Show” mom, appeared on the Emmy Awards on CBS this past Sunday and provided a tribute to him before the traditional “In Memoriam” segment aired.
“He was a beloved teenager in an iconic television series who the world watched grow into manhood,” Rashad said. “And like all our friends and colleagues who transitioned this year, Malcolm-Jamal Warner will remain in our hearts.”
About the Author
Rodney Ho writes about entertainment for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution including TV, radio, film, comedy and all things in between. A native New Yorker, he has covered education at The Virginian-Pilot, small business for The Wall Street Journal and a host of beats at the AJC over 20-plus years. He loves tennis, pop culture & seeing live events.
