Stevie Wonder is deeply mourning the loss of Malcolm-Jamal Warner.
In a new interview with TMZ published on Wednesday, July 23, the “All I Do” singer reflected on time spent and lessons learned from The Cosby Show star, who died on July 20 in Costa Rica.
Best known for his role as Theo Huxtable on the Bill Cosby-led sitcom in the ’80s and ’90s, Warner was also an accomplished musician, winning a Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Performance for his contribution to a 2013 cover of Wonder’s 1972 song “Jesus Children of America.” The single was a tribute to the victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut.
Wonder, 75, starred in a memorable Cosby Show episode that aired in 1986. In “A Touch of Wonder,” Denise (Lisa Bonet) got into a car accident with Wonder, who played himself. Warner and the rest of the cast joined Wonder for a performance of “I Just Called to Say I Love You” during the show.
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THE COSBY SHOW — “A Touch of Wonder” Episode
“My heart is broken,” Wonder told TMZ before making a cultural comparison between Warner and West African traditions.
“I don’t know if you know what a ‘grio’ is, a ‘griot.’ It’s like the African who told the stories in the various villages would have the griot. Whenever a griot would die, it would be like a whole library of information burning.”
Per Merriam-Webster, “An African tribal storyteller and musician is called a griot. The griot’s role was to preserve the genealogies and oral traditions of the tribe.”
Wonder continued, “My heart is broken because not only was he a talented man growing up and doing The Cosby Show, but even more important his commitment was telling the story, the truth.”
“And for me, in a time where we have so many in high places telling low-down lies, we need the truth. So yeah, I miss him,” the “Superstition” singer said.
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Malcolm-Jamal Warner, 2023 Grammys
He also shared dreams of others in the industry following Warner’s lead in spreading truth and positivity over discussing material things.
“I hope that the writers, the singers, rappers will begin to spread messages of positivity, of hope, and us moving this world forward,” Wonder said.
He added, “I’m quiet, but my heart is hurting.”
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Malcolm-Jamal Warner, SCAD aTVfest 2020
Warner drowned while on vacation with his family, with Costa Rican National Police telling ABC News that his death was ruled to be a result of asphyxia.
Throughout his career as a musician, Warner played with his jazz-funk band Miles Long, which opened for acts such as the late Luther Vandross. Love & Other Social Issues was among the albums the actor released.
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Last year, he launched his podcast Not All Hood as a way to highlight the diversity of experiences of Black people.
“When we talk about the Black community, we tend to speak of it as a monolith when the reality is there are so many different facets of the Black community, and we wanted to have a space where we can really explore, discuss, and acknowledge all of those different aspects,” Warner told PEOPLE at the time.
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