Reed Between the Lines alum Nadji Jeter has broken his silence to speak about the death of his TV dad, Malcolm-Jamal Warner.
In an essay for the Huffington Post, Jeter shared his memories of the actor. He revealed what he learned from working with him and how he felt upon learning the news of his tragic passing. “The day I met Malcolm-Jamal Warner, I had to have been 13 or 14. We were doing the auditions and the pilot for Reed Between the Lines, which premiered on BET in 2011.”
Jeter said that Warner “really took me under his wing and took that father role to another level. Malcolm and I had a similar background of being raised by a single mom and not really having that father influence. So when he came into my life, he really took on a father figure role on and off camera.”
Along with being a good influence, Jeter admitted that Warner helped him become a “man” in the entertainment industry. The attributes he admired most, and tried to emulate, were how Warner kept his “integrity, focus, and how to maintain good balance with everything.”
Weeks after learning of his TV dad’s death, Jeter remains in shock. “I still can’t process the fact that he’s really gone. Growing up and still being able to call him whenever I could, and then to get that news was just … I’m still in disbelief.”
Warner, best known as Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show, died at age 54. He drowned on July 20, during a family vacation in Costa Rica after being caught in a powerful rip current.
Despite rescue efforts and CPR, the accident proved fatal. Warner is survived by his wife and daughter. Tributes continue to pour in from fans and fellow actors, celebrating his legacy.