Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s mother, Pamela Warner, has released a statement about her late son, nearly three weeks after the actor died in an accidental drowning in Costa Rica.
Pamela posted a lengthy message about her son on an Instagram account dedicated to The Cosby Show actor’s legacy, titled Malcolm-Jamal Warner Living Legacy.
“Needless to say our hearts are heavy with the loss of Malcolm,” she began. “He was a kind, loving man with a huge heart for humanity. He wanted all to be aware of their inner strength and that they could succeed, accomplish and transform. This was his latest mission and work, transformation, in order for you to be fully present in your life.”
Pamela said that 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,” she added.
She said that Malcolm was “in love with the magic of being an actor, always studying and honing his craft.”
“Though he began his musical journey a little later in life, at 26, he excelled as a bassist and formed his own band, Miles Long,” she wrote.
“A poet as well as a musician, he released four albums — two Grammy-nominations and one Grammy Award. At eight years old, after his final stage performance, he declared that being on stage was what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. It became a self-fulfilling prophesy.”
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“Malcolm left an indelible mark on the world and on countless hearts. All who met him, however briefly, were better for the encounter,” she added.
Pamela said that, as his mother, there was a lot she could say about her late son.
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“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,” she wrote.
“Malcolm was birthed through water and he transitioned through water. He departed as he arrived, through water. This was his time. His mission on earth had been completed.”
She encouraged friends, family 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,” she concluded.
Malcolm, an ’80s and ’90s television star best-known for playing the role of Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show, died at the age of 54 on July 20.
The actor drowned while on a family vacation in Costa Rica, Costa Rican National Police told ABC News.
Authorities said his official cause of death was asphyxia, caused when the body is deprived of oxygen. He died near Playa Cocles, a beach in Limon, Costa Rica, according to police, adding that the actor was swimming when he was caught by a high current in the water. His body was found on the same day.
“He was rescued by people on the beach,” the department’s initial report said, but first responders from Costa Rica’s Red Cross found him without vital signs and he was taken to the morgue.
Following news of his death, tributes poured in from many celebrities, including his Cosby Show co-star Bill Cosby, Malcolm & Eddie co-star Eddie Griffin and his Reed Between The Lines on-screen wife, Tracee Ellis Ross.
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