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Malcolm-Jamal Warner's Wife Tenisha Speaks Out After His Death With Plan to Honor Legacy
Pamela Warner is recalling her son Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s final moments.
The Cosby Show star's mom recently shared details surrounding his tragic death at the age of 54 in July following an accidental drowning.
“They were in the water, I think maybe chest deep, even at maybe waist deep,” Pamela recalled to Robin Roberts in her interview with Good Morning America Sept. 16. “And there was an undertow. And my son was not an experienced swimmer. He did not know how to deal with the undertow.”
“He was with another gentleman,” she said. “But he was a more experienced swimmer, and he was able to rescue himself. But Malcolm was not.”
At the time of Malcolm’s death, it was speculated that he was in the water with his 8-year-old daughter, whose name he and his wife Tenisha Warner have kept private. According to his mother, that wasn’t the case, but sadly, his daughter did witness her dad’s emergency.
"She was on the shore,” Pamela said. “She was not in the water. Children process things differently. She watched them try to resuscitate him and I know that is awfully, awfully traumatic. She loved her father dearly, she adored papa.”
Adding of Malcolm’s daughter and wife, “So they’re both in deep grief.”
And as Pamela and the family grieve the loss of the Malcolm and Eddie star, she has found comfort in their personal connection.
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“I’m very grateful that I was chosen to be his mother,” she said. “I think that I’m at peace with everything that happened. There was nothing left on the table. There was no shoulda, coulda, woulda. No ‘I wish I had said this, I wish I had done this.’ I don’t have that. Our journey as mother and son was complete.”
Amid her son’s success in acting, music and poetry, she expressed her desire for fans to honor him.
“I’d like for them to continue to support his legacy and support the MJW living legacy page,” she said on GMA, "and love where you can, give when you can just be better, cause what’s what he wanted and that’s what he was working towards we can all be better selves.”
Pamela’s interview came days after Malcolm’s wife announced the River & Ember Foundation in his honor.
"Thank you for holding us in so much love during this tender time," she wrote on Instagram Sept. 12 alongside a photo from their 2017 wedding. "Tomorrow marks our anniversary—and my heart is wide open. For the first time, I’m sharing a glimpse of the love that began it all. I can still hear my husband’s laugh, still feel the way he made room for every part of me—every tear, every dream."
"Together we carry the legacy my husband and I began,” she continued, "one that nurtures children’s inner light and gives young artists the freedom to create outside the lines."
For more stars who remembered Malcolm-Jamal Warner after his passing, keep reading…
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Courtney B. Vance
"When @malcolmjamalwar was in the room," he wrote of his Tuskegee Airmen costar, "we all felt his good and kind spirit. He was not just a hard worker. He was a man with integrity and honor. He grew up in this business, serving as a beacon of possibilities for young people to see what it means to have this career and have a real life."
Vance added, "Rest in eternal peace, my good brother. We will always remember you!"
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Adam Sandler
The comedian said of his former Cosby Show costar, “Malcolm was so nice to me when I was on the show and we had such good times together.”
"We would take walks together, all of us and pick up food, talk, play basketball, hang out on the weekends, and go to parties together," he added. "He was so good to me as a person, and his mom was amazing. I’m just sending my love to the family. Malcolm is a true, great person, hilarious, smart kid and meant a lot to America.”
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Tracee Ellis Ross
“I love you, Malcolm,” Ross wrote in a July 21 Instagram post of her Reed Between the Lines costar. “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.”
She continued, “What an actor and friend you were: warm, gentle, present, kind, thoughtful, deep, funny, elegant. You made the world a brighter place. Sending so much love to your family. I’m so sorry for this unimaginable loss.”
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Geoffrey Owens
"This tragedy has almost left me speechless," the Cosby Show alum shared in a statement with NBC News. "Malcolm was a lovely man; a sweet and sensitive soul. I respected him for many reasons, including the fact that he genuinely loved the act of creation. He had the mind of an actor and the heart of a musician."
He added, "He was generous, too; I did a theater project long ago and asked him to participate; and he was there for me. My heart goes out to his family.”
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Shaunette Renée Wilson
"Last week I had the impulse to text you for one of our lengthy heart check-ins," Wilson wrote on Instagram. "I truly wish I had so that one of the last words I had of you were of your wisdom, kindness, and that uncanny ability you had to be both unserious and profound within a single sentence."
She continued, referencing their time on The Resident, "Rest in Power, Malcolm. It was a joy to be Mina to your AJ."
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Angela Bassett
The Black Panther actress shared a lengthy tribute to Warner, whom she worked with on American Horror Story and 9-1-1.
"When a special soul like @malcolmjamalwar leaves us far too soon, words fail to adequately describe the unimaginable grief," she wrote on Instagram. "Malcolm was more than a gifted actor; he was a longtime friend."
She added, "In this life, Malcolm is what’s known as a soulful artist whose deep commitment to his craft left an impression on me that has never faded. He carried the weight of cultural legacy with grace, and he always made space for others to shine. His light will remain in our hearts always."
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Beyoncé
The musical icon dedicated the front page of her website to the late Cosby Show actor.
"Rest in power, Malcolm-Jamal Warner," a message shared to the homepage read in all caps. "Thanks for being a big part of our shared television history. You will be missed."
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Bill Cosby
The 88-year-old’s rep Andrew Wyatt confirmed to E! News that Cosby was just as devastated to learn of Warner's passing as when he learned of his own son Ennis Cosby’s 1997 murder, which was the result of a failed robbery attempt.
The former comedian also spoke of his late son and Warner playing together as children, noting they “were amazing together," per the rep, and that the Cosby Show actor created a lasting impact through his work.
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Viola Davis
"I actually am speechless," the How to Get Away With Murder alum wrote on Instagram. "No words! Theo was OUR son, OUR brother, OUR friend... He was absolutely so familiar, and we rejoiced at how TV got it right!! But... Malcolm got it right... and now... we reveled in your life and are gutted by this loss. Blessings and prayers to your family and loved ones... We will speak your name—always."
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Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos
The Live! hosts paid tribute to Warner, who they say was the show's first ever guest.
"It's just so sad and crushing, and you don't realize—I literally, even though I didn't know him, grew up with this man," Kelly said on-air. "We were 14 years old together, only he was a big TV star and I was watching him. I feel like a piece of all of us passed away. It's very, very sad."
Watch E! News weeknights Monday through Thursday at 11 p.m., only on E!.
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