Keshia Knight Pulliam mourns 'big brother' Malcolm-Jamal Warner

Keshia Knight Pulliam has honoured her late The Cosby Show co-star Malcolm-Jamal Warner.

The 54-year-old actor, who played Theodore Huxtable on the sitcom, tragically drowned while on holiday in Costa Rica on 20 July.

His death has sparked an outpouring of tributes on social media, and his on-screen sister Knight Pulliam added a poignant post on Sunday night.

"A week ago I lost my big brother but I gained an angel... I love you... I miss you... We got our girls (heart emoji)," the 46-year-old wrote alongside a video of Warner playing guitar onstage at City Winery Atlanta in Georgia, as well as a brief clip of two young girls walking with a horse.

Addressing the delay in her tribute, Knight Pulliam explained on her Instagram Stories that she "needed a moment" to process the news.

"Thank you for every text call and all of the love that you have sent my way... I've just needed a moment...," she wrote.

Knight Pulliam, who played Rudy Huxtable in the show, follows in the footsteps of her co-stars Bill Cosby, Geoffrey Owens and Raven-Symoné in paying tribute to Warner.

Cosby called the actor's death "devastating" in a statement, while the That's So Raven actress described her late co-star as a "big brother", "a beacon", and "one of the most multifaceted, talented men" on Instagram.

Warner's cause of death was ruled as asphyxia due to submersion. According to local officials in Costa Rica, he died trying to save his eight-year-old daughter after they got caught by a rip current.

He is survived by his mother, wife and daughter.