Malcolm-Jamal Warner's Atlanta friend calls him 'family'

Friend remembers Malcolm-Jamal Warner as 'family'

Fellow actor Lamman Rucker knew Warner and said he was more like a brother. He reflects on the personal legacy Warner is leaving behind.

ATLANTA - Malcolm-Jamal Warner died Sunday at the age of 54 while on vacation. Authorities in Costa Rica say a current pulled him out to sea.

People across the globe are remembering him and his roles. But for a friend of 4 decades, the death of Warner is like losing a family member. 

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What they're saying:

Fellow actor Lamman Rucker knew Warner and said he was more like a brother.

Warner lived part of the time in metro Atlanta. Rucker had known him since they were 13. "It’s especially tough in this current moment," Rucker said. "He was the consummate brother, consummate friend."

Rucker was crushed when a mutual friend told him the awful news. "You want to look to the heavens and be like ‘anybody but him,’" Rucker said.

He says they shared deep bonds. "We cherish the roles of being fathers and husbands and being proud to be Black men," Rucker said.

Rucker says their families had been planning to get together.

They acted together on stage and appeared on Warner’s podcast "Not All Hood." Rucker tells FOX 5 Warner was more like family. 

"If I could’ve had another brother, biologically and vice versa, we would have both agreed we would have grown up together in the same household," Rucker said.

Most of all, Rucker says, Warner was sincere and authentic. "Incredibly articulate, expressive. Just genuine good, good people. When you talk to each other, you’re sincerely saying not just ‘How are you doing?' but literally, specifically, ‘How are you? How is your spirit? What’s going on with you?’" Rucker said.