Malcolm-Jamal Warner's Friend Recalls Actor’s Bond With His Daughter

Friends of Malcolm-Jamal Warner are sharing a rare glimpse into the actor’s close bond with 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 shared with the New York Post in an interview published Wednesday, July 23. “She was so full of joy watching him play, and she would dance.”

While Warner became a public figure when he played Theo Huxtable in the NBC sitcom The Cosby Show from 1984 to 1992, the actor chose to keep his personal life private and never publicly revealed his wife and daughter’s names.

Now, family and friends are mourning his death after he drowned in Costa Rica on Sunday, July 20. 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 shared with the publication.

One volunteer lifeguard who has been in contact with those present on the beach where Warner died revealed to Us that there were three other people in “distress” in the water, including a woman and a young girl. It’s unknown if the individuals were related to Warner.

While many are remembering Warner as a talented actor who went on to land roles in other projects, including Suits and The Resident, he also was a talented musician who started playing the bass in the mid-1990s as a hobby.

He went on to study bass and musical theory at Berklee College of Music before earning Grammy nominations, including a win for Best Traditional R&B Performance in 2015.

“He loved to learn,” Warner’s close friend and bandmate Dashiell Smith told the New York Post. “He never thought that he was too big to grow. … He was always one to immerse himself into his passions.”

Smith — who played in the Biological Misfits jazz band with Warner in Atlanta — 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.”

The Costa Rican Judicial Investigation Agency confirmed to Us that Warner’s autopsy was completed on Tuesday, July 22.

The cause of death was determined to be “asphyxia due to submersion.” (Asphyxia occurs when an individual doesn’t get enough oxygen in their body.)

Warner’s death was also ruled accidental by officials.