Friends of Malcolm-Jamal Warner are speaking out following the actor’s tragic death. Everyone is echoing the same sentiment: how close he was to his daughter.
“I can’t tell you how much he loved his little girl — and she loved him so much,” music promoter J. Scott Fugate told the New York Post in an interview published Wednesday, July 23. “She was so full of joy watching him play, and she would dance.”
Although Warner rose to fame as Theo Huxtable on “The Cosby Show” from 1984 to 1992, he remained intensely private about his personal life, never publicly revealing the names of his wife or daughter.
Family & Friends Mourn After Warner’s Tragic Drowning in Costa Rica
Warner died on Sunday, July 20, after drowning while on a trip to Costa Rica. He was 54. “I’ve been thinking about [his daughter] a lot and hoping she wasn’t on the beach where this all happened,” Fugate added, expressing concern for the young girl during the heartbreaking moment.
A volunteer lifeguard present at the beach told Us Weekly that three other individuals were also in distress at the time of Warner’s drowning—including a woman and a young girl. It’s not confirmed whether they were related to the late actor.
A Musician With Soul: Warner’s Quiet Career Outside the Spotlight
Paras Griffin/Getty Images for SCAD aTVfest 2020Though best known for his acting, Warner also had a deep passion for music. In the mid-1990s, he began learning bass guitar as a hobby, eventually studying music theory at Berklee College of Music.
His dedication paid off with a Grammy win in 2015 for Best Traditional R&B Performance and multiple nominations in the years that followed.
“He loved to learn,” Warner’s close friend & bandmate Dashiell Smith told the Post. “He never thought that he was too big to grow. … He was always one to immerse himself into his passions.”
A Protective Father & Loyal Friend
Smith, who played alongside Warner in the Atlanta-based jazz band Biological Misfits, described the actor as “a warm, genuine, loving father and a great friend.”
“He was very protective of his family,” Smith added. “We formed a fantastic brotherhood, and that will just be a memory I will always cherish. … As you can imagine, I’m not doing so good. It’s devastating.”
Officials Confirm Cause of Death as Accidental Drowning
The Costa Rican Judicial Investigation Agency confirmed on Tuesday, July 22, that Warner’s autopsy had been completed. The cause of death was determined to be asphyxia due to submersion, meaning Warner drowned after being unable to get sufficient oxygen. Authorities ruled the death accidental.
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Malcolm-Jamal Warner Was ‘All About His Daughter,’ Say Friends in Emotional Tribute