John Amos Bobby Bank/Getty Images
Legendary actor John Amos has died at the age of 84.
Amos’ son K.C. announced that his father died on August 21 in Los Angeles.
“It is with heartfelt sadness that I share with you that my father has transitioned,” K.C. said in a Tuesday, October 1, statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “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.”
A cause of death was not revealed.
Hollywood mourned many celebrities in 2024. Speed Racer star Christian Oliver (born Christian Klepser) died at the age of 51 during a fatal plane crash on January 5. Oliver was traveling home from a Caribbean vacation with his two daughters — Madita and Annik, whom he shared with wife Jessica Klepser — on January 4. […]
Before making it to Hollywood, Amos played football and signed with the Denver Broncos in 1964. After injuring his hamstring during training camp, Amos was cut from the team.
Amos then pursued acting and got his first major role as weatherman Gordy Howard on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. He went on to star in the groundbreaking historical miniseries Roots as Kunta Kinte and became the iconic TV dad James Evans Sr. on Good Times. Amos was nominated for an Emmy in 1977 for Roots.
John Amos as James Evans, Sr., and Esther Rolle (1920 – 1998) as Florida Evans, in a promotional portrait for the US TV sitcom, ‘Good Times’, 1974. Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images
Amos starred on the Good Times for the first three seasons. The sitcom, which was helmed by Norman Lear, was the first series to depict a two-parent Black family in America. During his tenure, Amos clashed with the show writers over the stereotypical storylines. He ultimately exited ahead of season 4 and his character was killed in a car crash.
“Their perception or their idea of what a Black family would be and what a Black father would be was totally different from mine, and mine was steeped in reality,” Amos said in a 2020 interview with VladTV.
Following his departure, Amos continued to land iconic roles including 704 Hauser, In the House, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, The West Wing, Men in Trees and more. Amos also had supporting roles in several movies including The Beastmaster, Die Hard 2 and more. His most notable film role was fast food restauranteur Cleo McDowell in 1988’s Coming to America. He reprised his role for the long awaited sequel Coming 2 America which premiered in 2021.
In his personal life, Amos was married twice. He tied the knot with first wife Noel J. Mickelson in 1965. The exes, who split in 1975, share two children: daughter Shannon and son K.C. Amos later wed actress Lillian Lehman in 1978 but their marriage was short-lived as they divorced the following year.
