Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s widow Tenisha Warner is opening up about the actor’s tragic death at the age of 54 last summer.
“The moments of that day are so ingrained in my body that it’s really hard to relive or think about what it all was,” Tenisha told Gayle King in a sit-down interview on “CBS Morning” on Thursday.
The mother of one has explained that she “can’t remember the details” of Malcolm Jamal’s death because her body was “in shock”.
“The Cosby Show” alum drowned during a family vacation in Costa Rica.
Malcolm-Jamal was on vacation with Tenisha and their now 9-year-old daughter.
“(His death) was the worst day of my life and I felt it was unfair,” Tenisha admitted to Dr. King. “All I can think about is my daughter and what I had to do to remain her mother and be her only parent.”
Tenisha said he was with her “all the time” and had no intention of leaving the couple’s home. Because all the “memories” of the couple are there.
“I can’t stay in my home without feeling a sense of loss, but I also can’t leave,” she said through tears.
Tenisha hopes people will remember her and her daughter as life goes on.
“The hardest thing about grief is that people move on, but for us, we can’t move on because we are his wife and children,” she said. “It’s about moving together and living together. He’s always been a part of our every day, and there’s not a moment in my day that isn’t affected.”
Malcolm-Jamal is also survived by his mother, Pamela Warner;
During the interview, Dr. King asked Tenisha if she was close to Pamela, to which she calmly replied, “I know.”
On Tuesday, news broke that Tenisha filed a lawsuit against her mother-in-law, who serves as a trustee of the Warner Family Trust, on Monday over a prenuptial agreement.
“For the past year, I have worked to privately manage the complex affairs of my beloved husband and honor his final wishes. Malcolm intended to support my 9-year-old daughter and me,” she told Page Six in a statement.
Tenisha added that her late spouse was “close to finalizing” a new estate plan to replace his 1996 will.
Malcolm developed an estate plan 20 years before he met his wife, when he was just 26 years old.
“Sadly, he was not able to do so before we lost him. I have struggled to care for my daughter as a single mother and now her sole caregiver,” Tenisha continued. “Legally, we had no choice but to take action to protect our rights before the statute of limitations could expire.”
According to TMZ, the lawsuit claims Tenisha is entitled to $1.2 million, which is the amount Tenisha allegedly promised her in her 2022 prenuptial agreement.
Pamela has not publicly addressed the lawsuit, but on the first anniversary of Malcolm’s death, she wrote on Facebook: “During my year-long (grief) journey, I discovered how cruel, evil and greedy humans can be.”
Last year, local police told the Post that the “Resident” actor was underwater at Playa Grande Beach in Cahuita, Limón state when he was caught in a strong current.
At the time, Malcolm’s cause of death was suffocation due to submersion and was ruled an accident.
