The actor shared deeply personal insights on life, death, and what he wanted to be remembered for

Only two months ago, on May 21, 2025, Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s last podcast appearance was posted. He appeared on Melyssa Ford’s Hot And Bothered podcast. 

The 54-year-old actor tragically passed away while on a family vacation to Costa Rica. According to ABC News, Warner’s official cause of death was asphyxia. He passed due to drowning off the coast of Costa Rica.

Warner is most known for his role on “The Cosby Show.” He also starred on “The Michael J. Fox Show,” “Key & Peele,” “American Horror Story,” and “Sons of Anarchy” in 2014, as well as “Suits” and “American Crime Story” in 2016.

Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s Last Podcast Before His Passing

In a sad turn of events, the actor spent the last podcast he was ever on discussing the legacy he would like to leave after his passing.

He and Ford discussed the fact that he thought about his legacy “a lot.” Starting with his acting, he said,

“I remember my mother said to me one time that ‘Mr. [Bill] Cosby gave you immortality,’” Warner recalled. “So I know on one lane there’s legacy there.”

However, it seems the actor would rather be known for being a “good person” than his acting career.

“I’m a good person because my dad’s a good person,” Warner gushed. “It is possible to walk through this world and, with all of the darkness in the world, it is possible to maintain your soul and be a good person.”

“There’s part of me that I will be able to leave this earth knowing — and people knowing — that I was a good person.”

The Actor Also Discussed His Experience With Death During The Interview

He began by recalling the time he watched his grandfather take his last breath. Saying,

“I literally watched him take his last breath and if you’ve ever seen someone take their final breath, there’s this peace that comes over them, just washes over them.”

He also said very insightfully what he learned about grief from his grandfather’s passing.

“I realized that when we grieve for people who have passed on, we’re grieving for ourselves, right? Because we miss them. And when I think about people in my life who have gone on and transitioned, I think about the lives that they’ve led. They were really good people.”