In Memoriam: Famous Actor "John Amos" Dies At 84

 

The famous actor John Amos, well-known for his role as the family patriarch on the hit sitcom "Good Times" and the adult Kunta Kinte in the famed original miniseries "Roots," has died, according to a his longtime publicist Belinda Foster. He was 84. Amos died in Los Angeles of natural causes on August 21. She also shared a statement from Amos' son, Kelly Christopher Amos, via email.

The statement reads: "It is with heartfelt sadness that I share with you that my father has transitioned,” the  statement read. “He was a man with the kindest heart and a heart of gold… and he was loved the world over. Many fans consider him their TV father. He lived a good life. His legacy will live on in his outstanding works in television and film as an actor."

Born and raised in East Orange, New Jersey in 1939, Amos found his first passion in sports after he fell in love with football and played at Colorado State University. While he graduated with a degree in social work, he scored tryouts with the Kansas City Chiefs, the Denver Broncos and the Canadian Football League’s British Columbia Lions. Amos would later recall that Kansas City Chiefs coach Hank Stram told him while cutting the future actor from his brief time with the team, “You are not a football player, you are a young man who happens to be playing football.”

Following stints as a social worker and copywriter in New York, Amos turned to acting, scoring the role of weatherman Gordon "Gordy" Howard on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," which would begin his ascent in Hollywood. A small parts on other hit 1970s television shows including "Love American Style,", "Sanford and Son" and then "The New Dick Van Dyke Show". But it was his role as James Evan Sr., the stern father on "Good Times," that would make Amos a star. Race was once again at the forefront when Amos portrayed Toby, the adult version of the slave Kunte Kinte in the critically acclaimed 1977 miniseries "Roots," which earned Amos an Emmy nomination.

Amos’s TV career continued steadily throughout the '80s and '90s, during which time he held roles on Hunter, 704 Hauser and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. In 1988, he memorably starred in Coming to America as Cleo McDowell, the father of Prince Akeem's (Eddie Murphy) love interest and eventual life, and reprised the part in the 2021 sequel.

Amos had recurring roles on The District, The Andersons, The West Wing and Men in Trees in the 2000s and kept working right up until his death. He made a surprise appearance in the 2019 Live in Front of a Studio Audience special in which stars like Viola Davis and Tiffany Haddish recreated a 1975 of Good Times as Alderman Fred Davis, a man running for local office.

Last year, Amos was embroiled in interpersonal family issues after allegations of elder abuse and speculation he was in ill health were made by family members, The sad news comes nearly one year and four months after Amos entered the hospital due to fluid filling his lower body and causing issues with his heart. At the time, a rep for Amos said the doctors drained all of the fluid and Amos had been on the mend.