Malcolm-Jamal Warner. Credit :
Vivien Killilea/Getty
- Malcolm-Jamal Warner died at age 54 on July 20 after drowning during a family trip to Costa Rica
- In the wake of his death, a family friend and business contact sheds light on his private life in Atlanta and tells PEOPLE that the Cosby Show actor was always one to live life to the fullest
- The source remembers Warner as a devoted father and musician, who was also very close to his mother, Pamela Warner
In recent years actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner had carved out a happy, private life for himself in Atlanta, Georgia.
The former Cosby Show star, 54, was on vacation with family in Costa Rica when he drowned while swimming at the beach on July 20. A family friend and business contact tells PEOPLE he was always one to live life to the fullest.
“He had a passion for life,” says the source, who is still in shock over the tragic news. “We all have passions for life, but he really was like ‘I’m going to live each day. I understand this is a blessing.’ And he was a people person, even though he was very personal with his private life.”
Despite the physical distance, the two remained “incredibly close.” Says the source, “She was a mother, but she was also his best friend.”
Pamela managed her son’s career for years, even writing ShowBiz Consulting 411 in 2024 in which she shared her experience and learnings as a parent of a child star.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner in June 2024. Santiago Felipe/Getty
A doting father to his only daughter, Warner was always reachable. And the best way to get him was “to call his mom,” says the source, who last spoke to Warner last year.
“It had been a while and his mom told me he’d moved down to Atlanta and I called him and it wasn’t a day later he called me back. That’s who he was. He was not one of these people that you call and don’t hear back. He was just very respectful.”
“He played the bass and had his jazz band down in Atlanta, a very avant garde jazz band [named Biological Misfits],” the source notes. “And of course he did his spoken word. He was very creative.”
“And he was a great actor, on camera, voice actor, all of it,” the source continues. “Look at the body of work that he did. And you never heard about a scandal. But even if there was, we didn’t care because we all knew he was just a good brother. He was one of the good ones.”
When it came to his Cosby Show legacy, “It did not define him. But I think it served as a platform and as some grounding for him,” explains the source. “He understood the importance of that show and the characters of a Black family. I think it grounded him in that family environment. But without a doubt, it did not define him.”
Adds the source: “Who defined him was his mother. I can’t imagine what she’s going through right now.”
Malcolm Jamal-Warner on ‘The Cosby Show’. Al Levine/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty
In a statement obtained by PEOPLE, the Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) in Costa Rica said Warner “appears to have entered the sea and was apparently swept away by a current.”
“The man was rescued by bystanders and taken to shore, where he received treatment from the Costa Rican Red Cross. However, he was declared lifeless at the scene,” authorities added.
Authorities have since confirmed that Warner “apparently died as a result of asphyxiation by submersion.”
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In addition to his mother, Warner is survived by a wife and daughter, whose identities he opted to keep private.
