The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office has confirmed Good Times and Roots star John Amos died of congestive heart failure, according to the actor’s death certificate obtained by TMZ.
Amos died August 21 at the age of 84, but his death was just announced yesterday October 1 by his son Kelly Christopher Amos.
His daughter Shannon Amos shared in an Instagram post Tuesday night that she was “without words” after learning of her father’s death through the media.
“I am without words…Our family has received the heartbreaking news that my Dad, John Allen Amos, Jr., transitioned on August 21st,” she wrote. “We are devastated and left with many questions about how this happened 45 days ago, learning about it through the media like so many of you.”
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Amos was known for playing Florida Evans’ (Esther Rolle) husband James in Good Times, which spun off of Maude, and for playing Gordy Howard the weatherman on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, which helped him break into entertainment in 1970. He also played the older Kunte Kinte in ABC’s landmark 1977 miniseries Roots. Other appearances for Amos included several episodes of The Tim Conway Comedy Hour, Future Cop, Hunter, 704 Hauser, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, In the House, The District, three episodes of Two and a Half Men, a few episodes in The Ranch and two episodes of Ballers.
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He went on to appear in Die Hard 2 (1990), The West Wing, All About the Andersons alongside Anthony Anderson, Men in Trees. He reprised his role as Cleo McDowell in the sequel to 1989’s Coming To America — Coming 2 America (2021). Other film roles include Vanishing Point (1971), Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song (1971), Keeping Up with the Joneses (1972), Touched By Love (1980), American Flyers (1985) and several more. Some of his most recent films include Block Party (2022), Me Time (2022) and The Last Rifleman (2023).
R.I.P Mr. Amos. So so sad. He was a great actor.
A great loss to our industry! One of his greatest performances was in WITHOUT
A PASS. The story of an ex- patriot jazz musician’s first night back in America. A BRILLIANT FILM I have never forgotten… Rest In Peace.
Why wait so late to tell his daughter and fans John Amos passed away 😔
Why his son hid the fact his father John Amos passed away over 45 days ago that’s strange hidden from his sister and fans 😞
Yes,that really is. Why would he do something like that ? pretty sketchy.
I read that he didn’t want daughter to make circus out of it
From “Good Times” to “The Best of Times”. Absent from the body and now, present with the Lord… what a Transition, huh? One of the most gifted artist of Our Time!!!
He was a historic actor and very gifted. I will never forget him in Good Times which I grew up on, and still look at the reruns today. Don’t forget he also was in Die Hard with Bruce Willis. Great Man. R.I.P