Tracee Ellis Ross is mourning the tragic loss of a dear friend.
Shortly after news broke that The Cosby Show alum Malcolm-Jamal Warner died from an accidental drowning in Costa Rica at age 54, the Black-ish actress honored her Reed Between the Lines costar with a touching tribute.
“I love you, Malcolm,” Ross wrote in a July 21 Instagram post alongside pictures of the pair. “First I met you as Theo with the rest of the world then you were my first TV husband. My heart is so so sad.”
She continued, “What an actor and friend you were: warm, gentle, present, kind, thoughtful, deep, funny, elegant. You made the world a brighter place. Sending so much love to your family. I’m so sorry for this unimaginable loss.”
While Warner rose to fame as Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show as a teen, in the decades after the sitcom came to an end he continued to make his mark on TV, including on Malcolm & Eddie, Reed Between the Lines and The Resident. He also made multiple appearances on Communitywhere he portrayed the on-screen husband of Yvette Nicole Brownwho also shared that Warner’s loss had “devastated” her.