DETROIT (AP) — For Black youth and youths rising up within the mid-Eighties, “The Cosby Show” provided one thing hardly ever seen on tv up till that point: a sitcom that positioned characters who appeared like them in a constructive mild.
And Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s Theo Huxtable was the character Technology X most associated to. Followers took rapidly to social media on Monday as information of Warner’s unintentional drowning in Costa Rica unfold.
“It’s like losing one of us,” stated Harriet Cammock, a 58-year-old Detroit creator and speaker. “This is the thing with television. When you’re watching people every week on television, you think you know them and you’re related to them.”
Warner was swimming Sunday afternoon at Playa Cocles in Costa Rica’s Limon province when a present pulled him deeper into the Caribbean, based on that nation’s Judicial Investigation Division.
First responders discovered him with out very important indicators.
Cori Murray, government vice chairman of content material at Ebony Journal, was saddened upon listening to about Warner’s loss of life. She stated his Theo character mirrored the on a regular basis Black teenager, which was uncommon to see on TV on the time.
Whereas so many portrayals of younger Black youngsters leaned adverse, “The Cosby Show,” particularly Theo, confirmed heat, pleasure and relatability.
“He wasn’t just a character. We saw ourselves in him,” Murray stated. “You know how Kendrick Lamar has the song ‘Not Like Us’? Well, Theo was one of us. He was like us.”
Murray, who met Warner a number of occasions, recalled his character off-screen matched the heat he exuded on tv. She referred to as him respectful and nice and stated he had a “megawatt smile” that lit up the room.
“His energy stayed with you,” Murray stated. “You don’t have a bad memory when it comes to Theo or Malcolm-Jamal Warner. As much as we loved the character, we also watched Malcolm grow up in real life. No scandals. No mess. Just a talented young man who matured into an upstanding, handsome adult.”
“The Cosby Show” was groundbreaking and a scores big, drawing in viewers throughout racial, cultural and financial backgrounds. The present ran for 197 episodes from 1984 to 1992. In 1986, Warner earned an Emmy nomination for supporting actor in a comedy.
The present starring Invoice Cosby as Cliff Huxtable and Phylicia Rashad as his spouse, Clair, “made the broader society conscious that there are Black individuals who dwell like white individuals do,” stated Cammock, who’s Black. “The perception that we don’t live like they do was hurtful.”
Gil Robertson, co-founder and president of the African American Movie Critics Affiliation, mirrored on Warner’s uncommon path within the leisure business.
“There was never any scandal, no controversy,” stated Robertson. “He transitioned from a teen star to a respected adult without the baggage we often see from others in his generation. That’s no small feat.”
Robertson added: “The legacy of Theo Huxtable — and Malcolm’s performance — will live on. It left an imprint that will continue to resonate in our culture for generations.”
Lynn Reasonover, 62, of Oak Garden, Illinois, started receiving messages Monday afternoon about Warner’s loss of life. Her preliminary ideas had been “Nope, didn’t happen.”
“Then, I kept seeing the news flashes and friends started sending texts,” Reasonover stated. “So, it’s sinking in. Makes you realize how much some celebrities help shape our memories. His work had such a huge impact. I’m feeling a personal loss because we grew up with him. It’s like losing a part of our childhood.”
Reasonover noticed a lot of her household within the Huxtables, the place each mother and father had been professionals who valued schooling and dealt with household points with understanding and love.
“They had similar problems to what we experienced growing up,” she stated. “We could relate and that’s why we laughed.”
Rasheda Williams, 46, of Detroit was about the identical age as Rudy, the youngest character on “The Cosby Show” and Theo’s little sister. Williams stated she and others are mourning Warner’s passing due to what they noticed within the character he performed.
“He’s like the ideal cousin you wish you had,” Williams stated. “Hearing the news has really affected some of us. It was unexpected. He wasn’t sick. That makes it even more tragic.”
“He wasn’t just an actor,” she stated. “He was also an activist, a positive role model, not just for young Black men, but for young Black women as well.”
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AP Leisure Author Jonathan Landrum Jr. in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
