Earlier this week, it was reported that Malcolm-Jamal Warner passed away at the age of 54. The beloved former Cosby Show star was on a family vacation in Costa Rica when he got caught in a rip current and drowned. Bystanders' attempts to revive him were sadly unsuccessful, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Several of Warner's fans and peers have paid tribute to him since the tragedy, including Beyonce. According to AllHipHop, the multi-hyphenate recently shared a black-and-white photo of him as a teenager on her official website. The photo was accompanied by a heartfelt message. "Rest in power, Malcolm-Jamal Warner," it reads. "Thanks for being a big part of our shared television history. You will be missed.”
Tracee Ellis Ross, Eddie Griffin, Niecy Nash, Angela Bassett, and many more have also shared touching tributes to Warner since his passing.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner Death
Bill Cosby, who played Warner's father for eight seasons of their hit show, also broke his silence on his untimely passing recently. He recalled what it was like to work with the late actor and had nothing but positive things to say. Cosby said, "He was always a great studier, and I enjoyed working with him very much."
"He was very professional," he continued, "He always knew his part... He always knew his lines, and he always knew where to go." Cosby went on to share that he and Warner kept in touch even after the show ended, revealing that he called him regularly. Warner's character, Theo Huxtable, was loosely based on Cosby's son Ennis. Ennis was murdered in 1997 at the age of 27, and had been childhood friends with Warner.
Andrew Wyatt, a spokesperson for Cosby, told PEOPLE that learning of Warner's passing “reminded him of the same call he received when his son died.”
