"I can’t think of anything I wish I could have said": Malcolm-Jamal Warner's mother reminisces his childhood and last day

Following Malcolm-Jamal Warner's untimely death in Costa Rica, his mother, Pamela Warner, spoke candidly about her son's last moments, early recollections, and enduring legacy in a US Weekly Exclusive interview. She also discussed their close relationship and the sense of serenity she now possesses. Having no regrets, she said:

“I can’t think of anything I wish I could have said to Malcolm.”

In an exclusive interview with US Weekly, Pamela Warner described how devastated she was to hear of her son's passing. On July 20, 2025, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who is best known for his role as Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show, drowned in a riptide while on vacation in Costa Rica. He was only fifty-four at the time of his death.

Pamela claimed that Malcolm-Jamal Warner's best friend told her about the tragic incident:

“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."

With everything that happened, Pamlea has stated that she is "at peace with everything that happened" and also mentioned that it was "his time":

"That was his time. That was the manner in which he was to transition, and this is what I believe and what I feel."

Pamela added that she had shared what now feels like "goodbye conversations":

“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.”

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Clarifying what happened to Malcolm-Jamal Warner at the Costa Rican beach

Pamela also answered some questions that were still hanging regarding her son's death. She said Malcolm was not trying to save his daughter, as early reports had suggested. Pamela said in an interview with US Weekly:

“She was on shore. She was not in the water.”

She had told Pamela that Malcolm-Jamal Warner was caught in an undertow while wading in chest-deep water with another man:

“My son was not an experienced swimmer.”

The other man survived but has struggled with survivor's guilt; finding him brought closure, Pamela said, because she wanted him to know she felt no resentment:

"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."

She concluded that it gave her the closure she needed:

"Yeah, because I saw how deeply this young man and his wife were affected. I did not want them to stay in that state because they have a child to raise as well. This was something that was beyond anyone’s control. I wanted him to feel more at peace."

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Remembering Malcom as a father, husband and son

Malcolm-Jamal Warner and his wife, Tenisha Warner, had an 8-year-old daughter, and Pamela said that Malcolm was a very loving parent:

"Oh, he was fantastic. I was very impressed with the deepness of his care… and by his ability to be a kid and do kid stuff. He really enjoyed it."

She pointed out that Malcolm was first reluctant to have a kid because of social and political issues, but being a father transformed him. When working remotely, he made frequent FaceTime calls to stay in touch and selected projects that would allow him to spend more time at home.

Looking back on his early years, Pamela said that Malcolm was perceptive and emotionally intelligent. She added that by the age of eight, Malcolm became her best friend and she "was able to have very thought-provoking conversations with him":

"He was my confidante. Depending on what I needed, he was so emotionally intelligent that whatever responses he had for me were spot on. Once a child marries, things will change a little bit, but we still had an emotional connection and the business connection because I was still his manager"

She spoke about her managerial career, as well as being his manager for more than 40 years:

"My only focus was his mental, emotional and physical health. How he was feeling was more important to me than his fame."

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Since her son's death, Pamela now spends most of her time with the Malcolm-Jamal Warner Living Legacy foundation, which aims to empower youth via the arts.

Malcolm-Jamal Warner is survived by his wife, Tenisha, and their daughter.

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