Beyoncé has featured a dedication to Malcolm-Jamal Warner, the “Cosby Show” actor who died Sunday in Costa Rica, on her personal website.
On Tuesday, the homepage of Beyonce.com featured a black-and-white childhood photo of Warner, accompanied by a short caption dedicated to him.
“Rest in power, Malcolm-Jamal Warner,” the announcement on the website proclaims emphatically. “Thank you for being an integral part of our cherished TV history. Your absence will be deeply felt.”
Warner, 54, drowned Sunday after he was swept out to sea in Costa Rica, according to local authorities.
An individual familiar with Warner mentioned that he was vacationing with his wife and young daughter, and it seems the incident was unintentional. As of Monday night, Warner’s wife was in the process of arranging for his body to be transported back to the U.S. for a funeral, according to the source.
The Judicial Investigation Department of Costa Rica disclosed in a statement on Monday that Warner was swimming at Playa Cocles in the province of Limón when he was swept away by a current. People nearby managed to retrieve Warner from the water, but emergency personnel from Costa Rica’s Red Cross found him unresponsive upon arrival.
The Costa Rican Red Cross said in a statement that a second man was taken to a hospital in critical condition from the “water incident.”
Warner starred in NBC’s “The Cosby Show,” which played a significant role in challenging stereotypes and increasing media visibility for Black Americans. He played Theo Huxtable, Cosby’s son, from 1984 to 1992.
He went on to star in several popular television series of the late 1990s and early 2000s centered on Black characters, including “Malcolm & Eddie,” “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” “Kenan & Kel” and “All That.”
In addition to Beyoncé, news of Warner’s death prompted an outpouring of grief from Hollywood and other prominent Black celebrities, including Earvin “Magic” Johnson.
Tracee Ellis Ross posted an image of her and Warner on Instagram on Monday. The pair starred in the BET sitcom “Reed Between the Lines” from 2011 to 2015.
“My heart is so so sad. What an actor and friend you were: warm, gentle, present, kind, thoughtful, deep, funny, elegant,” she wrote. “You made the world a brighter place.”
Holly Robinson Peete, whose father wrote and produced “The Cosby Show,” also posted an image of her with Warner on Instagram on Monday.
“He was always gracious, kind, funny and gave the absolute best hugs,” she wrote. “Even if you never met him — you feel like you knew him. That’s how universally loved he was.”
Geoffrey Owens, who played Elvin Tibideaux on “The Cosby Show,” said in a statement that he was “speechless” over Warner’s death.
“Malcolm was a lovely man; a sweet and sensitive soul. I respected him for many reasons, including the fact that he genuinely loved the act of creation,” he said. “He had the mind of an actor and the heart of a musician.”
Beyoncé has previously dedicated her website to high-profile deaths of Black Americans.
In 2023, she honored a 28-year-old gay man, O’Shae Sibley, who was dancing to her music just before being stabbed to death in Brooklyn, New York.
