Malcolm-Jamal Warner

Beloved sitcom actor

- BY MYCHAL DENZEL SMITH

THE LOSS OF MALCOLM-JAMAL Warner, who died on July 20 at 54 in a drowning accident while vacationing with his family in Costa Rica, has been widely felt. The cultural impact of The Cosby Show, on which he played the family's only son, Theo Huxtable, can't be overstated. And Warner was an integral part of it; the show possibly doesn't even work without him. For everything it sought to do in presenting a Black family that was not mired in trauma, its heart could be found in Warner's portrayal of Theo trying his best to navigate the lofty expectations that come with such freedom, while also wanting simply to be a teenager.