Bill Cosby commended his former ‘TV son’ Malcolm-Jamal Warner for his skill and dedication following reports that The Cosby Show star had tragically drowned at the age of 54 in an accidental incident in San Jose, Costa Rica.

On Monday, Cosby spoke with Jericka Duncan of CBS News, expressing what he hoped people would remember about the late actor, who played Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show.

Cosby praised Warner’s dogged efforts during his 197-episode stretch of The Cosby Show, which aired from 1984 until 1992.  

‘He was never afraid to go to his room and study – he knew his lines and then he was quite comfortable, even with the growing pains of being a teenager,’ Cosby reflected on his late co-star’s professionalism.

Cosby opened up on the emotional discussion the two had about three months back, which would mark the final time they spoke.

‘We talked about was very proud of,’ Cosby said. ‘He had a concert in Minnesota with the symphony and there was something he had written.’

Cosby continued, ‘He was very proud of what he had done and what he had said – and it was it was about living in America.’

Cosby confirmed he had spoken with Phylicia Rashad (who played Clair Huxtable on The Cosby Show) on the somber day. 

Cosby’s lawyer told Daily Mail in a statement that the death of Warner marked another tragedy in the life of the comedy veteran.

‘You always hear older people say, “Parents are not supposed to bury their children,”‘ said Cosby’s attorney. ‘Mr. Cosby lost his son, Innis, to gun violence, and his daughter, Ensa, died two weeks before our 2018 trial. 

‘And now he’s lost the man who played a character that was modeled after his own son, Innis, at 54 years of age. That is a lot.’

The attorney said that Warner ‘was so much more’ to Cosby, described as a parent whose had to continually bury his children.’ 

Officials with the Judicial Investigation Department in Costa Rica said that the actor died Sunday after he drowned while on a Caribbean beach in the country. 

Warner had been at Playa Cocles in the Limon province, authorities said, and had been drawn deep into the water by a current.

A first report from the department said that the actor had been ‘rescued by people on the beach,’ while Red Cross officials said that first responders who located Warner could not detect vital signs; and subsequently transferred him to a nearby morgue.

Warner’s career in entertainment spanned more than four decades, as he also had featured roles on sitcoms such as Malcolm & Eddie, Listen Up and Read Between the Lines and drama shows such as The Resident and Jeremiah. 

Warner spoke with the AP in 2015 about his drive in maintaining his career after The Cosby Show went off the air nearly a quarter-century ago.

Said the actor, ‘I grew up with a maniacal obsession with not wanting to be one of those “Where are they now kids.”

‘I feel very blessed to be able to have all of these avenues of expression … to be where I am now and finally at a place where I can let go of that worry about having a life after Cosby.’

Warner, who received a nomination for an Emmy in 1986 for supporting actor in a comedy, told the AP in 2015 that the sex assault accusations against Cosby had ‘tarnished’ the legacy of the series, which virtually disappeared from heavy play in syndication amid Cosby’s legal issues.

‘My biggest concern is when it comes to images of people of color on television and film,’ Warner said. ‘We’ve always had The Cosby Show to hold up against that.

‘And the fact that we no longer have that, that’s the thing that saddens me the most because in a few generations the Huxtables will have been just a fairy tale.’