The tributes continue to pour in for Malcolm-Jamal Warner following his tragic death on July 20 at age 54. Yvette Nicole Brown, who played Shirley Bennett on “Community,” reflects on the loss of her beloved friend and co-star. Warner played Shirley’s husband Andre on the sitcom.
Yvette Nicole Brown Remembers Malcolm-Jamal Warner
On July 21, Brown took to Instagram to share a touching tribute to Warner, including a video of the actor talking about finding “a reason to smile.”
“This loss has devastated me. ð I don’t have the words right now so I am repurposing these beautiful ones from my dear friend, who I adored,” the actress wrote.
She continued, “This video is a glimpse of the love he would share just randomly. To have him as a friend was a blessing from God. He was one of one. I love you @malcolmjamalwar. I always have. I always will. Thank you for being a real one. Until we meet again, friend. ðð︔
Brown added, “Heartfelt condolences to his wife and daughter whom he CHERISHED and his dear mom and his dad.â¤ï¸”
Yvette Nicole Brown Recalls Joy of Malcolm-Jamal Warner Playing Her Husband
Later in the day, Brown took to Instagram Live to remember Warner. “Holding space for @malcolmjamalwar â¤ï¸ðï¸,” she noted in the caption.
During the recording, the actress shared, “I was a huge fan from the time I was 13 years old. I was blessed to work with him and most importantly, I was blessed to call him friend. Dear friend.”
Brown continued, “I am not someone who takes friendship lightly. I cherish being allowed to walk through life with someone. I just talked to Malcolm maybe a week ago.”
“This is devastating,” she shared through tears. “He was such a real one, you guys … he was so real.”
“He deserves a personal moment from me,” Brown said. “Such a good friend. He was such a good man. He was such a good husband. He was such a good dad … Please know that he was an amazing husband and an amazing father and he loved his family and his family loved him.”
The actress touched on how Warner was “intentional” about contacting friends when he thought of them. “He never missed my birthday and I never missed his,” she said, reflecting on the ways he would make the day special for her every year.
“When I did ‘Community’ and knew Shirley had been married … I was so happy that [creator] Dan Harmon let me have Malcolm,” she recalled.
Brown shared how she asked, during the first season, “If we go the distance, if we ever see Shirley’s husband, can it please let it be Malcolm-Jamal Warner?”
She continued, “And then I jokingly said, ‘But only if they reconcile,’ because I was like, if they reconcile, I’ll get to kiss my childhood crush. If they don’t reconcile, I don’t want it to be Malcolm-Jamal Warner.”
“And Dan Harmon, to his credit, thought it was a brilliant idea and that’s how I got to really meet Malcolm and work with Malcolm, Brown explained. “Shirley got her Andre, and then we got to be, we became really great friends.”
“I just wanted to work with him forever because he’s such a good guy,” she added.
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