Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s Mom Opens Up About His Heartbreaking Last Day Before Drowning

Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s mother, Pamela Warner, has opened up about her son’s tragic final day in Costa Rica.

The beloved actor, best known for his role on The Cosby Show, died at 54 after being caught in a riptide on July 20 while on vacation with his wife, Tenisha, and their 8-year-old daughter.

Speaking to Us Weekly, Pamela shared memories of spending time with Malcolm, including unconventional holidays. “I remember one Thanksgiving we had tacos,” she said. “I said, ‘Well, we’ve got turkey meat, we’ve got corn tortillas, lettuce and tomatoes and cheese.’ We had a ball.”

She also recalled an Easter when Malcolm was a child: “He must have been about six or seven. [We got] all dressed up and we went to church, and then we came home and ate tuna fish sandwiches. That was our Easter dinner, and we were just as happy.”

Pamela described the shock of learning about her son’s death. “Malcolm’s best friend came and told me the news. I said, ‘Is this about Malcolm?’ and he said yes. And then I just went into outer space. I said, ‘Is he dead?’ and he shook his head, and I completely lost it. I yelled so loud. I live on a cul-de-sac, and my neighbors came running out of the house. They could hear it. The level of grief is something unimaginable.”

Before his trip to Costa Rica, Malcolm had sent Pamela a text saying he was on his way and expressing his love. “When he got to Costa Rica, he sent me a video with him and his daughter. [I was thinking] he’ll be home on such-and-such date, and he’s having fun. That was how we left it,” Pamela said.

She also spoke about what happened during the accident. While Pamela has not spoken with authorities directly, she met with a man who was in the water with Malcolm. “Malcolm, Tenisha, and their daughter were traveling with another family in the homeschool community. The other husband also got caught in the riptide with Malcolm, who Pamela says was ‘not an experienced swimmer,’ but survived.”

Pamela described the conversation as emotional but healing. “It was emotional. He needed to know I held nothing against him. He has a daughter, like Malcolm did. So he had to save himself. He was being pulled out to sea, and he had to fight. When we left our meeting, he felt relieved. It was healing for him.”

Despite the tragedy, Pamela said she is coping by focusing on her work with the Malcolm-Jamal Warner Living Legacy foundation. “I’m doing OK. After spending more than four decades as Warner’s manager, I’m now focusing most of my energy on the foundation,” she said.

She explained that she had already shared meaningful conversations with her son before his death: “We had conversations prior that I see now were really goodbye conversations. That has made it a little better for me. I can’t think of anything I wish I could have said to Malcolm.”

Pamela also shared how Malcolm’s family is coping. “His wife is dealing with her grief. Their daughter is being supported by her mother, who has a doctorate in psychology, so she is equipped to help her daughter,” Pamela said.

The loss of Malcolm-Jamal Warner has deeply affected those close to him, but Pamela emphasized the importance of acceptance. “There’s nothing you can do about it, and anything other than acceptance is nonproductive. I’m at peace because there’s nothing I can do, and because he and I were in a very good space. I don’t have the shoulda, woulda, couldas.”

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!