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Malcolm-Jamal Warner tragically died on Sunday at just 54 while swimming in Costa Rica.
Months before his death, Warner spoke out about his legacy on the “Hot & Bothered with Melyssa Ford” podcast.
On the May 21 episode, Malcolm reflected on his role as Theo Huxtable on “The Cosby Show,” saying, “I remember my mother said to me one time that ‘Mr. [Bill] Cosby gave you immortality.’ So, I know on one lane there’s legacy there.”
He added, “I feel like, okay, there’s that legacy there, but then, because I’ve had this full life after that show, there’s another lane of legacy that I get to leave. And I’m still working through that.”
The star shared, “There’s part of me that I will be able to leave this earth knowing — and people knowing — that I was a good person.”
Malcolm-Jamal Warner: New Details Surrounding His Drowning Death in Costa Rica
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Warner said his dad was most proud of him because he was a good person, not because of his success.
“I’m a good person because my dad’s a good person,” Warner said. “It is possible to walk through this world and, with all of the darkness in the world, it is possible to maintain your soul and be a good person.”
He also reflected on grief and how, at 15, he watched his grandfather pass away.
“I literally watched him take his last breath,” he said. “And if you’ve ever seen someone take their final breath, there’s this peace that comes over them, just washes over them.”
He called it “emotional” and “sad,” but added, “I realized that when we grieve for people who have passed on, we’re grieving for ourselves, right? Because we miss them. And when I think about people in my life who have gone on and transitioned, I think about the lives that they’ve led. They were really good people.”
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Warner continued, “And when we talk about, why are the good people taken away from us, I go, ‘Maybe they’re being rewarded or something.’”
After Malcolm’s death, Ford wrote on Instagram, I am devastated. Words cannot convey my shock and sadness at the loss of such an incredible HUMAN.”
She continued, “Malcolm Jamal Warner didn’t feel comfortable with the designation of the label of ICON but that’s what he was to so many of us. Besides being an accomplished actor, poet, musician, his most cherished role was Father and Husband.”
Ford went on, “I am so heartbroken for his family that he worked so hard to protect from the glaring lights of fame. May they find comfort in the knowledge that his faith was strong but his love for them defined him. Rest Easy, King.”
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