Malcolm-Jamal Warner tragically passed away at 54. More than 30 years before his death, former girlfriend Pamela Potillo reflected on their sweet relationship after meeting on the set of The Cosby Show in a resurfaced 1988 interview published in Star.

Malcolm-Jamal Warner was notoriously private about his personal life in recent years, but that wasn’t always the case. The actor, who tragically died from an accidental drowning during a family vacation to Costa Rica on July 20, had several high-profile romances with actress girlfriends before settling down to become a family man.

The second person involved in Malcolm-Jamal Warner's drowning death remains in critical condition but new information has emerged about why they were in the water with the actor, PEOPLE can exclusively confirm.