Keshia Knight Pulliam mourns the heartbreaking loss of her former *Cosby Show* co-star Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who tragically drowned while vacationing in Costa Rica, calling him her “big brother” and honoring his lasting legacy as a beloved actor, musician, and cultural figure.

Keshia Knight Pulliam, known to millions as the lovable Rudy Huxtable on *The Cosby Show*, has spoken publicly for the first time since the sudden and heartbreaking death of her longtime co-star and on-screen big brother, Malcolm-Jamal Warner.

A week after Warner’s tragic drowning while vacationing with family in Costa Rica, Pulliam took to Instagram with a moving video and message that captured the deep emotional loss felt not just by her, but by generations who grew up with Theo and Rudy.

“A week ago I lost my big brother but I gained an angel,” Pulliam wrote beneath a short video clip of Warner performing on bass guitar at Atlanta’s City Winery.

The venue was a special place for Warner, who besides being an actor was also an accomplished poet and Grammy-winning musician.

His musical performances there were well known among fans of his second career in music—one marked by soulful basslines and intimate spoken word.

Pulliam, now 46 and a star of *Tyler Perry’s House of Payne*, referred to their shared television past and the bond it created between the cast, especially those who played the Huxtable children.

“I love you… I miss you,” she wrote, adding, “We got our girls,” in a quiet nod to her fellow former child stars, including Tempestt Bledsoe and Raven-Symoné.

Warner, best remembered for his role as the charming and responsible Theodore “Theo” Huxtable, died on July 21, 2025, at the age of 54. He was swimming off the coast of Costa Rica when a powerful ocean current pulled him out to sea.

While emergency responders were able to rescue one other individual involved in the same incident, Warner was found without vital signs and was pronounced dead at the scene before being transported to the local morgue.

The Red Cross of Costa Rica later confirmed the details, adding that the other man’s identity would not be released due to privacy concerns.

News of Warner’s passing rippled through Hollywood and far beyond. Co-stars, fans, musicians, and fellow actors expressed grief and gratitude for a man who many saw as a cultural touchstone.

Bill Cosby, who played the patriarch of the Huxtable family, released a rare public statement through CBS News, saying that he and co-star Phylicia Rashad were “embracing each other over the phone” after hearing the news.

Cosby praised Warner’s work ethic even as a teen actor, recalling how the young man would retreat to his room to study lines and prepare for the next day’s shoot.

Geoffrey Owens, who portrayed Elvin Tibideaux—Theo’s brother-in-law on the show—was visibly shaken in his written statement. “Malcolm was a lovely man; a sweet and sensitive soul,” Owens wrote.

“I respected him for many reasons, including the fact that he genuinely loved the act of creation.” Warner, he emphasized, was not just an actor but a true artist—someone who approached his music, his directing work, and his acting with the same depth and integrity.

Outside the television world, Warner had carved out an impressive artistic legacy. He won a Grammy Award in 2015 for Best Traditional R\&B Performance alongside Robert Glasper and Lalah Hathaway.

He also directed episodes of *Malcolm & Eddie*, *Reed Between the Lines*, and *The Resident*, and had recurring roles in shows like *Suits* and *The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story*.

Yet for many, he would always be Theo—the first TV character who helped reflect Black teen life with nuance, charm, and relatability.

Tributes poured in from across the entertainment spectrum. Beyoncé briefly updated her website to honor Warner’s legacy.

Actors Morris Chestnut, Tracee Ellis Ross, Viola Davis, and Niecy Nash all posted emotional tributes, remembering his warmth, talent, and enduring impact on Black television.

“He carried a generation of us,” one fan wrote. “We felt safe watching Theo, and now it feels like we’ve lost part of our childhood.”

Pulliam, whose silence in the days following Warner’s death had not gone unnoticed, explained that she simply needed time. “Thank you for every text, call and all the love that you have sent my way,” she said in an Instagram story on Sunday. “I’ve just needed a moment.”

That moment, however, has now been transformed into a communal tribute. The City Winery in Atlanta—where Warner’s final performance was recorded—will host a special event in his honor on Wednesday, July 30.

According to the venue, all proceeds will go to Warner’s surviving wife and young daughter.

“This tribute is our communal offering to say: Thank you. For the way he gave, for the work he created, for the bridges he built between TV, poetry, music, and love,” the event description reads.

Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s sudden death marks not just the loss of a beloved actor, but of a man who carried the burden of being a role model for an entire generation—gracefully, without complaint, and always with integrity.

In her heartfelt post, Pulliam reminded fans that though he’s gone, his spirit remains. “We got our girls,” she said—and perhaps, for a moment, everyone who ever felt part of that TV family felt it too.