The cause of death for long-time actor and former 1970s sitcom star John Amos has been released.
The Roots star died of congestive heart failure, according a death certificate obtained by TMZ.
The actor with 50 years of acting and 121 roles on his resume passed away on August 21, but news of his death was not reported until this week. TMZ learned his son had the actor’s body cremated nine days after he passed.
The death certificate lists Amos’ son, Kelly Christopher, as the one who reported the death to authorities.
Oddly, Amos’ daughter, Shannon, was not aware of her father’s passing until this week when her brother made the announcement that the actor had died.
Shannon took to her Instagram account to lament the bad blood between she and her brother that led to such a late announcement of her father’s passing.
“I am without words…Our family has received the heartbreaking news that my Dad, John Allen Amos, Jr., transitioned on August 21st,” Shannon wrote on Instagram. “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.”
Shannon added that her father died with no family present and also accused her brother of elder abuse.
After a career in sports that ended in injuries, the New Jersey-born Amos broke into the acting business in 1970 and quickly shot to national attention in the hit sitcom Good Times in 1974, and quickly followed by The Mary Tyler Moore Show and his high-profile role in the seminal TV mini-series, Roots, the latter of which earned him an Emmy nomination.
Amos later had a re-occurring role as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on NBC’s political drama West Wing. He also appeared in TV series including All About the Andersons, Two and a Half Men, and Suits LA, among others.
The six-foot-tall actor appeared on the big screen as well, with roles in films including The Beastmaster, Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song, Coming to America, Die Hard 2, Dr. Doolittle 3, and many others.
His last film role was as Lincoln Jefferson Adams in the 2023 Pierce Brosnan film The Last Rifleman.
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