Beyoncé has featured a dedication to Malcolm-Jamal Warner, the “The Cosby Show” actor who died on 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 his passing.
“Rest in power, Malcolm-Jamal Warner,” the website reads. “Thanks for being a big part of our shared television history. You will be missed.”
Warner, 54, drowned on Sunday after he was swept out to sea in Costa Rica, according to local authorities.
A source close to Warner said he was on vacation with his wife and young daughter and that the incident appears to have been accidental. As of Monday night, Warner’s wife is attempting to retrieve his body to the United States for a funeral, the source said.
Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Department said in a Monday statement that Warner was swimming at Playa Cocles in Limón province before being dragged out deeper by a current. Bystanders at the scene pulled Warner out from the water, but first responders from Costa Rica’s Red Cross found him unresponsive.
The Costa Rican Red Cross said in a statement that a second man was transported to a local 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 the role of Theo Huxtable, Cosby’s son, from 1984 to 1992.
He then 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,” “Keenan & 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.
