Emmy-Nominated Actor John Amos Passes Away At 84
John Amos, star of Good Times, Roots, and Coming To America, died on Aug. 21 at the age of 84. The actor died of natural causes in Los Angeles. The news was made public on Tuesday (Oct. 1) in a statement from his son, Kelly Christopher “K.C.” Amos.
“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. My father loved working as an actor throughout his entire life…. Most recently in Suits LA playing himself and our documentary about his life journey as an actor, America’s Dad. He was my dad, my best friend, and my hero. Thank you for your prayers and support at this time.”
(L-R): Ralph Carter, Esther Rolle (1920 – 1998), John Amos (1939-2024), Jimmie Walker, and BernNadette Stanis
CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images
Amos was born John Alan Amos Jr. on Dec. 27, 1939, in Newark, N.J., to a truck driver/mechanic father and housekeeper/nutritionist mother. While cleaning the home of a cartoonist who drew the Archie comics, Amos recalled it was then that his “imagination blew wide open.”
Per The Hollywood Reporter, he expressed, “I was disappointed in a way, because none of them looked like Archie or Jughead or Veronica … Some of the magic disappeared, but the science of the industry became apparent to me.” Growing up, he also drew comics and played football. However, he got a sign from God that he shouldn’t pursue a career in sports.
THR reported, “God kept telling me, ‘I don’t want you playing football.’ The direction I was getting from above was to be a performer, to be a writer, something that I had always done and came easy for me.” Amos signed a free agent contract to the Broncos before landing a gig on The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
(L-R): Madge Sinclair, John Amos, and Leslie Uggams in ‘Roots’
Everett Collection
Throughout his career, he earned an Emmy nomination for his role as Toby — the older version of Kunta Kinte— on the ABC miniseries, Roots. Amos also starred in Melvin Van Peebles‘ blaxploitation classic Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song (1971), and co-starred alongside Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall in Coming to America (1988).
Most famously, he starred as James Evans Sr., the patriarch of the Evans family, on Good Times.
His character was killed off-screen in a car accident in a two-part episode that aired as the season four premiere in Sept. 1976. Amos parted from the show due to creative differences with its direction.
Eric McCandless via Getty Images
According to a 2014 interview for the TV Academy Foundation, Amos shared, “We had a number of differences. I felt too much emphasis was being put on J.J. in his chicken hat, saying ‘Dy-no-mite!’ every third page. I felt just as much emphasis and mileage could have been gotten out of my other two children, one of whom aspired to become a Supreme Court justice, played by Ralph Carter, and the other, BernNadette Stanis, who aspired to become a surgeon.”
He noted, “I wasn’t the most diplomatic guy in those days, and [the show’s producers] got tired of having their lives threatened over jokes. So they said, ‘Tell you what, why don’t we kill him off? We can get on with our lives!’ That taught me a lesson — I wasn’t as important as I thought I was to the show or to Norman Lear’s plans.”
Despite their conflicting views, Lear had Amos star on 704 Hauser, and the actor was later honored in 2019 for the ABC special, Live in Front of a Studio Audience, where an ensemble cast recreated an episode of Good Times.
The cherished actor had other notable roles throughout his storied career on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, All About The Andersons, The Players Club, and he reprised his role as Cleo McDowell in the 2021 sequel, Coming 2 America.
Amos is survived by his son K.C., daughter Shannon, and a slew of loved ones. VIBE sends our deepest condolences to the Amos family during this time.
