Malcolm-Jamal Warner never forgot to smile.
Two months before he drowned in Costa Rica at age 54, the “Cosby Show” actor shared an Instagram clip where he eerily reminded his fans to keep smiling regardless of life’s tribulations.
“Its a beautiful day here in Atlanta. I just want to shoutout and spread some love and good cheer,” Warner said while driving his car in the May 14 video.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner in an Instagram video from May. malcolmjamalwar/Instagram
Malcolm-Jamal Warner reminds fans to smile. malcolmjamalwar/Instagram
“Just wanted to remind you as I remind myself that no matter what’s going on, there’s always a reason to smile,” he continued.
Warner sported a Dodgers baseball cap and had a flower in his ear that was gifted to him by his daughter in the clip. He revealed that it was her birthday that day.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner shared the clip on his daughter’s birthday. malcolmjamalwar/Instagram
“If you just take a minute to stop, I guarantee you can find at least one reason to smile,” Warner shared. “If for some reason you can’t find a reason to smile, then that’s probably the best time to be the reason for somebody else’s smile.
“That’s all I got,” he added. “Peace and love. I’ll be back soon.”
The “Malcolm & Eddie” star captioned the video, “Meant to post this the other day. A few days late, but the message still stands. Be the reason someone smiles today…or even tomorrow. Sending love to my IG fam. #blesssingsabound ✌🏿✌🏿❤️❤️✊🏿✊🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿.”
Malcolm-Jamal Warner at a pre-Emmys party in Sept. 2016. MediaPunch/INSTARimages
Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s daughter. malcolmjamalwar/Instagram
Warner kept his daughter and his wife out of the spotlight. He never disclosed his daughter’s name or birthdate, though he did write in an August 2021 Instagram post that she was 3 years old at the time.
In 2019, Warner gushed on social media that he was “proud” of his daughter.
“I know most parents think their kids are special and wonderful. We are no exception, even though we and our awesome nanny have to press our forefingers and thumbs together and chant ‘Ommmm…she is perfect and diviiiiiine’ to remind ourselves during those times she’s being extra aggy! 🤣 Often I find myself just staring at her and wondering where she came from,” he wrote via Instagram at the time.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s daughter riding a horse. malcolmjamalwar/Instagram
“I wholeheartedly own that the parents she came from/chose are special spirits in our own right and we’ve passed onto her our spiritual and vibrational riches,” he continued. “I am proud that we have been able to provide a wonderful, loving, and spiritually enriching environment as a home base into which ALL babies should be born and thrive.”
He also gushed over his mother, Pamela Warner.
“But the spirit with which she entered this world is hers and hers alone. Growing up, when people would praise my mother for being such an incredible parent, she would always say that, in me, she had great material to work with,” he wrote. “Mom, I get it now. We have also been blessed in that way.”
Malcolm-Jamal Warner at The Paley Center For Media’s Hollywood Tribute to African American Achievements in Television in 2015. AFP via Getty Images
Warner was vacationing with his family in Costa Rica on Sunday when he drowned.
Costa Rican National Police told The Post that Warner was pulled from the water by people in the area and taken to shore, where they desperately attempted to save his life.
The Judicial Investigation Agency confirmed Warner “was declared lifeless” at the scene.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner drowned in Costa Rica on July 20. Tim Wright / MEGA
The actor’s body was taken to the morgue at San Joaquin de Flores for an autopsy, with his cause of death listed as asphyxiation by “submersion,” officials said.
A second unnamed man is in critical condition after being pulled out of the water moments after Warner drowned.
Lifeguards were not present on the “challenging” beach due to a “lack of resources,” according to a statement from Costa Rica’s volunteer lifeguard association.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner starred on “The Cosby Show.” NBCUniversal via Getty Images
Warner rose to fame playing Theodore “Theo” Huxtable, the son of Bill Cosby’s Cliff Huxtable, in “The Cosby Show” from 1984 to 1992.
His performance landed him an 1986 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
Warner also won a Grammy in 2015 for being featured on the Robert Glasper song “Jesus Children.”
