Inside His Ups and Downs Before His Death

Malcolm-Jamal Warner experienced Hollywood success and personal heartbreak prior to his death at age 54.

The actor — who rose to fame playing Theo Huxtable, the only son of Bill Cosby’s character, Heathcliff Huxtable, on The Cosby Show — told PEOPLE in June 2024 that he was grateful for “the foundation” the hit NBC comedy provided.

“We weren’t in Hollywood, and there weren’t really many other shows shooting in New York. We all had to grow up with friends who were not in the business,” he recalled of filming the show, which aired for eight seasons from 1984 to 1992. “And when you grow up in New York, there’s a different exposure to reality than when you grow up on television in Hollywood.”

“I think that foundation was a wonderful foundation for me, because when I was walking through the world, that show was not just a hugely popular #1 show in America, it was the #1 show around the world,” he continued.

Warner shared that his mother Pamela gave him support — and some important advice — amid childhood fame.

“I was 14 years old, and my mother sat me down and said, ‘Listen baby, it’s great that this show is the phenomenon that it is, but at some point this show is going to be over,’” he shared at the time. “‘This show could be over next year. What are you going to do when this show is over?’ She said, ‘I can type. I can always get a job, but what are you going to do when the show’s over?’”

Pamela, a producer and talent manager, reminded her son to focus on “longevity” in the entertainment industry.

“If you look at anyone in this business who’s had longevity, they’ve had periods where they were hot and periods and they were not,” he explained. “And she said, ‘If longevity is what you want in this business, then you have to decide what you’re going to do during those times when you’re not hot, so you’re not out there making desperate career choices.’”

He followed his mother’s advice. After The Cosby Show concluded, Warner continued to act in TV and film projects such as Malcolm & Eddie, The Resident, Suits, Read Between the Lines and Accused.

He also launched into other ventures. In 2015, he took home a the Grammy for Best Spoken Word Poetry Album at the 65th Annual Grammys. He was also part of a jazz funk band called Biological Misfits, alongiside David Whild, Dashill Smith, Rodney Edge, Landon Anderson, Khari Cabral Simmons and DJ LV.

In 2024, he started a podcast, Not All Hood, alongside co-hosts Weusi Baraka and Candace Kelley.

The actor later reflected how the show’s legacy was impacted by his former costar Bill Cosby’s legal troubles. Cosby was convicted of sexual assault in 2018, which was later overturned in 2021, only for five more women to accuse him of sexual assault.

“Regardless of how some people may feel about the show now, I’m still proud of the legacy and having been a part of such an iconic show that had such a profound impact on — first and foremost, Black culture — but also American culture,” he said.

However, he lamented in a separate interview with journalist Jemele Hill in 2023 that he and his fellow cast members could be “making a killing” now, if it weren’t for the Cosby allegations.

“We could have made a lot of money. Fuller House, they’re doing their thing.The Conners, man, we’d be making a killing right now,” he asked.

When asked if he was “resentful” because “one person impacted you guys’ lives and the way this show was seen,” Warner replied: “No. Not resentment … I get how this business works, for one. And just that whole situation is so layered, man.”

“I can’t defend him or his actions at all. But I also can’t throw him under the bus completely,” he continued. “Because I have an understanding of all the layers. It’s so complex and it’s so many shades of gray, that most people will never get. There is the piece of the financial hit that we all took but also it hasn’t really affected my career.”

Despite his success in Hollywood, Warner faced heartache in his personal life, including the death of a longtime love. 

The actor dated Michelle Thomas, who played his onscreen girlfriend Justine Phillips on The Cosby Show, from 1988 to 1994. Thomas died four years after their split on Dec. 23, 1998, at age 30 from a rare form of cancer.

Before her death, the actress whispered a special endearment to Warner: “Elephant juice.” Mouthing those words, Warner, who had flown to New York City from Los Angeles to be at her bedside, said, “Looks like you’re saying, ‘I love you.’ That was always our thing. When I saw her, I said, ‘Elephant juice.’ She smiled and said, ‘Elephant juice,’” PEOPLE previously reported.

“She spent a lot of her career playing girls,” Warner recalled of Thomas, with whom he remained friends after their breakup in 1994. “The wonderful thing about The Young and the Restless was she finally got to play a woman. She finally got to be sexy and to show people that there was more to her than Justine from Cosby.”

Warner went to have a seven-year relationship with Karen Malina White before dating Regina King from 2011 to 2013. While little has been shared about their relationship, King hinted about their breakup in a 2015 interview.

“That’s tough because I don’t have one — someone broke up with me on Valentine’s. D—!” King told Us Weekly.  “Yeah. I’m serious. Then he actually sent me flowers that said, ‘I still love you’ and I threw the flowers in the trash, and he was upset that I threw them in the trash and I was like, ‘F— you.’”

King added, “They’ll know. I love flowers, but he thought that was right. What an a–, right?”

The actor later found love with his wife. They were together for 10 years.

During an appearance on the podcast, Hot & Bothered, last month, Warner made rare public comments about his wife. “If something happened and we weren’t together romantically, she would still be the person that I would want to raise a child with,” he said.

“We’ve been together almost 10 years and we have never had a fight, an argument, a raised voice or a harsh word said to one another …. And it’s not like we agree on everything,” he added of his wife, with whom he shares an 8-year-old daughter.

He shared on the same podcast that his daughter now watches The Cosby Show, explaining, “I’m watching the show with my daughter and laughing and like, wow, this show is still relevant to this day. [Bill Cosby] had that vision that he wanted this to be a timeless, evergreen show and he succeeded.”

Warner died from drowning while on a family trip in Costa Rica.

Costa Rican National Police later announced that Warner drowned off the coast on Sunday, July 20.

The Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE that his death was ruled to be a result of asphyxia. Warner was caught by a high current on a beach in Limon, per police.

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Warner is survived by a wife and daughter, whose identities he opted to keep private.