The death of Malcolm-Jamal Warner has seemed to touch virtually everyone. The former Cosby Show star drowned in Costa Rica on July 20 at age 54, and notables from the world of entertainment have shared their thoughts and memories of the beloved actor and musician. Warner–alongside Robert Glasper and Lalah Hathaway, reworked Stevie Wonder’s classic “Jesus Children of America” for the Grammy-winning charity single “Jesus Children.” Wonder spoke to TMZ about how Warner’s death has affected him and compared Warner’s work and legacy to that of African griots.
“My heart is broken,” Wonder said. “I don’t know if you know what a griot is. A griot is like, the African that told the stories in the various villages. So whenever a griot would die, it would be like a whole library of information burning.”
Wonder and Warner initially met via the classic episode of The Cosby Show when Warner’s Theo Huxtable and sister Denise Huxtable (played by Lisa Bonet) get into a fender-bender with the music icon. Wonder eventually invites the Huxtable clan to his studio, where they contribute to a new song.
“So my heart is broken because not only was he a talented man, growing up and doing,” Wonder shared. “We know him in the Cosby Show, but even more important, his commitment was telling the story. And for me, in a time when we have so many in high places telling untruths, we need the truth. So yeah, I miss him. I will miss him.”
He added: “I’m quiet, but my heart is hurting.”
ABC News reports that Warner drowned while swimming with his 8-year-old daughter. Surfers attempted to save them, but were only able to pull his daughter from the strong currents. A man who attempted to save Warner also wound up in critical condition, but has since been released from the hospital. Since his death, an outpouring of love and remembrance from celebrities like Adam Sandler, Tracee Ellis Ross and his former Cosby Show co-stars Geoffrey Owens and Raven-Symone.
From Your Site Articles
Related Articles Around the Web
