Pamela Warner, the mother of late actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner, has opened up for the first time about her son’s tragic death, offering intimate details of the drowning that claimed his life in Costa Rica this past July. Warner, best known for his role as Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show, was 54.

In an emotional interview with Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts, Pamela recounted that Malcolm-Jamal had traveled to Costa Rica as part of an immersion program tied to his 8-year-old daughter’s homeschooling. “His wife and daughter had been in Costa Rica three weeks prior,” she said. “She is homeschooled, and this was part of an immersion program.” Malcolm-Jamal joined them during the program’s final week, intended “for the husbands to come” — what Pamela described as “the fun part.”

Pamela clarified reports surrounding the drowning, noting that her granddaughter was not in the water when the accident occurred. “She was not in the water. He was with another gentleman,” Pamela explained. Both were reportedly in chest- or waist-deep water when an undertow pulled at them. While the other man, an experienced swimmer, was able to save himself, Malcolm-Jamal, who was not accustomed to handling such conditions, tragically could not.

Reflecting on the moment she learned of her son’s death, Pamela described the depth of her grief. “It was from the bottom of my soul,” she said. “And what came up and what came out was huge — an indescribable pain that resonated throughout my body.” She distinguished between the physical anguish and a spiritual perspective: “The spiritual part of it was — that was his time. This is what I believe and what I feel.”

The loss has been particularly traumatic for Malcolm-Jamal’s young daughter. Pamela said the child witnessed attempts to resuscitate her father, a memory she fears will leave lasting impact. “Children process differently. She watched them try to resuscitate him, so she saw that, and I know that’s awfully, awfully traumatic,” Pamela said. “She loved her father dearly. She adored Papa — he was Papa.” Both his daughter and his wife, Tenisha Warner, continue to grieve deeply, Pamela added.

Pamela’s interview comes shortly after Tenisha publicly confirmed her identity for the first time since her husband’s passing. On Sept. 12, she shared a photo from their 2017 wedding on Instagram, announcing the launch of the Warner Family Foundation and River & Ember. The post offered a glimpse into the couple’s enduring bond: “I can still hear my husband’s laugh, still feel the way he made room for every part of me — every tear, every dream,” Tenisha wrote.

The Warner Family Foundation aims to provide scholarships for young students pursuing higher education in the arts. River & Ember is designed to offer seasonal toolkits for parents and children, focusing on nurturing a child’s emotional rhythm and strengthening connections through creative exercises.

This is not Pamela’s first public statement since her son’s death. On Aug. 6, she launched the “Malcolm-Jamal Warner Living Legacy” Instagram account, describing it as “the official account honoring Malcolm-Jamal Warner, lovingly run by his mother.” She remembered him as a man with “a huge heart for humanity” and praised his devotion as “an exceptional husband, father, and son — a man deeply in love with life, his wife, and his daughter.”

Pamela Warner’s candid reflections offer a rare and intimate portrait of grief, loss, and the enduring impact of a beloved actor whose life and legacy continue to resonate with family and fans alike.