Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s TV father is addressing his tragic death.
Hours after it was reported that the actor died at 54 by fatally drowning in Costa Rica while on vacation with his family, Bill Cosby’s rep, Andrew Wyatt, shared how the comedian took the news.
Wyatt told The Post that Cosby “spoke to Phylicia Rashad earlier today and they reminisced about Malcolm.”
Cosby starred as Cliff Huxtable, the dad of Warner’s character Theodore “Theo” Huxtable in “The Cosby Show” for 8 seasons, from 1984 to 1992. Rashad, 77, played Clair Huxtable, Theo’s mom.
According to Wyatt, Cosby shared that his childhood friend recently passed away, noting that hearing of Warner’s death added to his pain.
The actor, who just celebrated his 88th birthday, feels like “everybody’s leaving,” Wyatt told The Post.
The star’s spokesperson also shared that Cosby told him, “While I was their TV dad, I never stopped being a father to them.”
The actor also compared Warner’s passing to losing his own son, Ennis Cosby, who was murdered in 1997.
Hearing the news “reminded him of the same call he received when his son died,” Wyatt added.
Cosby’s only son was fatally shot during an attempted robbery while changing his flat tire on a Los Angeles freeway ramp.
Ennis was 27.
Wyatt also shared a heartwarming story of a full-circle moment with Warner.
“He started with the Cosby show, he was a teenager,” he explained to The Post, adding that Cosby gave Warner his upright bass named after his only son in 2016, more than two decades after “The Cosby Show” ended.
He passed the instrument on “so his [Ennis’] legacy would be that he humanized the world,” Wyatt said of Cosby’s son, adding now that Warner’s dead, “he would humanize the world even more.”
Wyatt shared that Cosby recently spoke to Warner.
“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,’” he said.
Wyatt also addressed Cosby’s reaction with People, in which he called the tragedy “devastating.”
“He [Cosby] found a way to talk about Malcolm even though he was sad,” he told the outlet.
Talking with CBS News’ Jericka Duncan, Cosby said he and his former TV wife were “embracing each other over the phone about a dearly beloved friend.”
“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 being a teenager,” Cosby added, sharing he last spoke to Warner “three months ago.”
Warner died on Sunday, July 20, at age 54, when he accidentally drowned.
Costa Rican National Police told The Post that Warner was pulled from the water by people in the area and taken to shore, where they desperately attempted to save his life, but it was too late.
“The victim appears to have entered the sea and was apparently swept away by a current. The man was rescued by bystanders and taken to shore, where he received treatment from the Costa Rican Red Cross. However, he was declared lifeless at the scene,” the OIJ later confirmed to People.
The actor’s body was taken to the morgue at San Joaquin de Flores for an autopsy. His cause of death was listed as asphyxiation by “submersion,” the Costa Rican National Police shared on Monday, July 21.
Warner was handpicked by Cosby for the role of Theo on the family sitcom, which later earned the young star a 1986 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
Besides Warner, Cosby and Rashad, the Huxtable family included Sabrina Le Beauf (Sondra), Lisa Bonet (Denise), Tempestt Bledsoe (Vanessa) and Keshia Knight Pulliam (Rudy).
During its 8 seasons, “The Cosby Show” landed 29 Emmy nominations total, taking home six golden statuettes.
After his stint on the beloved NBC sitcom, Warner continued to have success on shows like “Malcolm & Eddie” with Eddie Griffin (1996 to 2000) and “The Resident” (2018 to 2023).
He also starred on “Reed Between the Lines” with Tracee Ellis Ross and appeared in several TV favorites like “American Horror Story: Freak Show,” “American Crime Story,” “Suits,” and more.
Many of his former co-stars, including Griffin and Ross, also addressed Warner’s shocking passing.
“For what the world lost was a Father a Son a Poet a Musician a Actor a Teacher a Writer a Director a Friend a Warrior that I had the pleasure of going to war with against the Hollywood machine and sometimes with each other because that’s what Brothers do but the Love was and is always there
,” Griffin said in part.
“I love you, Malcolm. First I met you as Theo with the rest of the world then you were my first TV husband. My heart is so so sad,” Ross’ statement read.
Warner leaves behind his wife and daughter.
