Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s Wife Reveals Identity, Opens Up About His Tragic Death

Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s widow, Tenisha Warner, has revealed her identity and addressed his tragic death earlier this year. 

Tenisha took to Instagram on Friday, September 12, to share a joyful photo of her 2017 wedding to Malcolm-Jamal, who died in July after drowning while on vacation with his family in Costa Rica. Her late husband was 54. 

“Thank you for holding us in so much love during this tender time,” Tenisha wrote in a caption. “Tomorrow marks our anniversary — and my heart is wide open. For the first time, I’m sharing a glimpse of the love that began it all.”

She continued, “I can still hear my husband’s laugh, still feel the way he made room for every part of me — every tear, every dream. Today, in his honor, my daughter and I are launching River & Ember and officially opening The Warner Family Foundation.”

Tenisha said, “Together we carry the legacy my husband and I began — one that nurtures children’s inner light and gives young artists the freedom to create outside the lines. This is love, Still moving. Still making. Still carrying us forward.”

In her post, Tenisha included an image of a longer statement about the new enterprise, writing, “River & Ember was born not only from my knowledge as a doctor of psychology, but from my own journey with grief and love. It’s about creating rituals that outlast us — the kind that our children will carry as a legacy.”

She added, “River & Ember began with two simple forces: the steady flow that carries us forward, and the quiet warmth that keeps us alive inside. My husband embodied both. His presence was a river — steady, sure, and always moving toward what matters.”

Malcolm-Jamal’s “spirit was an ember — glowing with encouragement, igniting possibility in those around him. His way of seeing the world — that children’s inner light is worth tending with care and constancy — is the heartbeat of everything we create here.”

Tenisha received thousands of supportive messages in the comments section.

“Simply beautiful ❤️,” remarked Keshia Knight Pulliam, who starred with Malcolm-Jamal in The Cosby Show, while the musician Questlove posted five prayer emojis.

“A testament that true love creates purpose beyond loss,” one follower wrote. “We love and support you Tenisha!”

Malcolm-Jamal’s “Not All Hood” podcast cohost Candace Kelley told Us Weekly in a recent cover story that she last spoke to him as he was heading to Costa Rica for “an extended vacation” with his wife and 8-year-old daughter. 

“This was the guy who’s like, ‘I gotta go, my daughter’s got her big party,’” Kelley recalled. “He was just dad, a welcoming committee beholden to her. I remember one night he said, ‘Oh my, my daughter wants to pitch a tent tonight and sleep under the stars.’ His family was the light of his life.”