Bill Cosby is now mourning the death of his on-screen son, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, after The Resident star’s fatal drowning in Costa Rica on Sunday, July 20. He was 54 years old.
This tragedy reminds the media personality of the murder of his own son, Ennis William Cosby, and Bill can’t help but draw a connection between the two losses.
Cosby’s rep revealed that Warner’s death reminded the 88-year-old comedian of Ennis’s murder in 1997.
How Did Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s Death Remind Bill Cosby of Ennis William Cosby’s Murder?
Ennis Cosby died in 1997 after being shot during an attempted robbery while changing a flat tire on a Los Angeles freeway ramp. He was only 27 years old at the time.
While the manner of his death was far different from Warner’s, Bill’s spokesperson, Andrew Wyatt, said it was the way Bill learned of Warner’s passing that reminded him of his son’s death.
“[His death] reminded him of the same call he received when his son died,” Wyatt told People.
He also recalled that Warner and Ennis used to play together as children, making this new tragedy even more “devastating.”
“He found a way to talk about Malcolm even though he was sad,” Wyatt said of Cosby.
Warner didn’t just have a close bond with Ennis. Even decades after The Cosby Show ended, he maintained a relationship with his on-screen father.
“He had just done a concert in Minnesota and called Mr. Cosby and talked about it. They spoke all the time. He said 'Malcolm was changing humanity,” Wyatt continued.
Cosby also stayed the same, with Wyatt revealing the actor told him he “never stopped being a father to them.”
That said, he can’t help but feel “everybody’s leaving,” especially after Bill’s childhood friend also just died.
Meanwhile, in his tribute to Warner on CBS News, Cosby sounded like a proud father.
“He was never afraid to go to his room and study. He knew his lines and that he was quite comfortable even with the growing pains of a being a teenager,” he said, revealing they last spoke “three months ago.”
He also shared that their final conversation was about Warner’s Art in Motion concert with the Minnesota Orchestra—something Warner was “very proud of.”
How Did Malcolm-Jamal Warner Die?
Warner died while on a family vacation in Costa Rica. According to a police statement obtained by The Post, he drowned in the ocean after being swept away by a strong current.
Although people in the area of Cocles Beach in Limón pulled him from the water and brought him to shore, Warner was pronounced dead at the scene after the Costa Rica Red Cross attempted to revive him.
Authorities confirmed that the cause of death was asphyxiation due to “submersion.”
A woman named Kimara, who identified herself as Warner’s cousin, announced his death on Monday before the news broke publicly.
“My cousin died yesterday after drowning in Costa Rica,” she wrote. “Y’all please be safe out here while traveling and doing water sports. Wear life jackets, etc.”
Warner is survived by his wife and daughter, whose names have not been made public, as he kept his family life private over the years.
Warner was best known for playing Theodore Huxtable, the son of Bill Cosby’s character, on The Cosby Show, which ran from 1984 to 1992.
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