Malcolm-Jamal Warner has been honored by his friends and former colleagues in a live podcast almost a week after his death.
A live episode of his “Not All Hood” podcast dropped on Friday, July 25 and was led by his cohost Candace Kelley.
Actress Jessica Miesel, who worked alongside Warner in The Resident, paid tribute while appearing on the podcast.
“I was so struck by his endless curiosity and his warmth and his elegance, but mainly his ability to make me and others feel like an equal. I never felt like he was looking down at anybody else,” Miesel said.
Miesel added that adored his laugh and said that his humor contributed to an enjoyable working experience with him.
“His laugh was just one of my favorite sounds in the whole world, and he was the king of adding a button to the end of a scene, you know even doing a serious surgery scene and he would add something completely silly to the end of it,” she continued.
Meanwhile, Kelley gave credit to the late actor for pushing for diverse portrayals of Black characters on-screen.
“He really was on a mission to make sure that the tropes about the Black community are not continued,” Kelley recalled. “We’d have these conversations because all the dramas on TV are about gangs and the street and drugs and kingpins,” she continued. “But a lot of people don’t know that he often turned down a lot of parts in these types of shows. He’d say, ‘It’s good writing, but it’s not a good message.’ “
News broke on July 21 that The Cosby Show alum had died at 54 in Costa Rica. He was survived by his mother, wife and daughter.
Warner had been attempting to save his 8-year-old daughter in the ocean before he drowned, an official confirmed exclusively to Us Weekly on Thursday, July 24.
According to Elberth León, head of the Tourist Police for Costa Rica’s Atlantic region, both Warner and his daughter found themselves dragged by an ocean current when the accident occurred on Sunday, July 20.
“Both were dragged by the current,” León told Us.“They were bathing together and were caught by a rip current. Obviously, as a father, he fought for his daughter, but the current in that area is very strong, and they couldn’t accomplish the objective.”
The Costa Rican Judicial Investigation Agency confirmed to Us that Warner’s autopsy was completed on Tuesday, July 22, with “asphyxia due to submersion” found as the cause. His death was ruled accidental by officials.
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