Keisha Knight Pulliam honored her longtime Cosby Show co-star Malcolm-Jamal Warner on Sunday with a poignant Instagram tribute, days after his sudden death at age 54.
Warner drowned on July 20 while vacationing with his family in Costa Rica, according to his representatives. The Emmy-nominated actor and Grammy-winning musician leaves behind a decades-spanning legacy in television, music, and spoken word.
Keisha Knight Pulliam, who portrayed Rudy Huxtable opposite Warner’s Theo on the NBC sitcom from 1984 to 1992, shared a video of Warner performing bass guitar at City Winery in Atlanta. “A week ago I lost my big brother, but I gained an angel,” she wrote. “I love you… I miss you… We got our girls,” referring to Warner’s wife and daughter.
The duo’s on-screen sibling dynamic became one of the show’s emotional anchors, and their friendship endured long after the series ended. Warner’s television résumé expanded well beyond The Cosby Show, with roles on Malcolm & Eddie, The Resident, and Showtime’s Jeremiah alongside Luke Perry. He also co-starred in the CBS comedy Listen Up with Jason Alexander.
In addition to his acting career, Warner pursued music and poetry. He won a Grammy in 2015 for Best Traditional R&B Performance for “Jesus Children” with Robert Glasper Experiment and Lalah Hathaway. He received a nomination in 2023 for Best Spoken Word Poetry Album for Hiding in Plain View.
Warner also lent his voice to social commentary through the podcast Not All Hood (NAH), which he co-hosted with journalist Candace O. Kelley. The show explored the lived experiences of Black Americans through cultural and political conversations.
Warner is survived by his wife, daughter, and a body of work that continues to resonate across generations.
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