Following the news of Malcolm-Jamal Warner‘s death, TV father Bill Cosby paid tribute to his onscreen son, who rose to fame during his portrayal of Theodore Huxtable on the seminal ’80s sitcom.
“He was never afraid to go to his room and study,” the comedian told CBS News correspondent Jericka Duncan of Warner, who was just 14 when NBC began airing The Cosby Show in 1984. “He knew his lines and that he was quite comfortable even with the growing pains of being a teenager.” (The character of Theo is based on Cosby’s son Ennis Cosby, who was murdered in 1997 at the age of 27 during a failed robbery attempt.)
Warner, who garnered an Emmy nomination for his role on the eight-season show, also appeared in series Malcolm & Eddie, Reed Between the Lines and, more recently, The Resident and guest arcs on 9-1-1 and Alert: Missing Persons Unit. The Grammy-winning artist died in an accidental drowning while on a family vacation in Costa Rica at the age of 54.
In the call, Cosby said he spoke with Warner just three months ago: “What we talked about was something he was very proud of. He had done a concert in Minnesota with a symphony and there was something he had written, but he was very proud of what he had done and what he had said, and it was about living in America,” he said.
The since-disgraced comic also noted that he connected with onscreen wife and Huxtable matriarch Phylicia Rashad about their mutual loss.
“We were embracing each other over the phone about a dearly beloved friend,” he said.
Warner’s prolific TV career was honored by many in the industry throughout the day, including co-stars and executives. Collaborators like Angela Bassett, Yvette Nicole Brown, Sherri Shepherd, Tracee Ellis Ross were among those to pay tribute, alongside The Resident executive producers and Morris Chestnut.
