“Coming to America” and Hollywood TV star John Amos passed away on August 21 in Los Angeles of natural causes, Amos’ son Kelly Christopher shared. He was 84.
In a statement on Tuesday to The Hollywood Reporter, Amos’ son K.C. wrote, “It is with heartfelt sadness that I share with you that my father has transitioned.”
“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 added. “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,’” K.C. continued. “He was my dad, my best friend, and my hero. Thank you for your prayers and support at this time.”
John Amos has passed away at the age of 84.
May He Rest in Peace. 🕊️ pic.twitter.com/rAraP3Hv4O
— Complex Pop Culture (@ComplexPop) October 1, 2024
Born in 1939 in Newark, New Jersey, Amos graduated from high school and later from Colorado State University. Despite having a degree in sociology, Amos had hopes of playing in the NFL, the New York Post noted. However, multiple injuries during training camps derailed those dreams leading him to acting.
In 1970, he made his debut on “The Bill Cosby Show” and his career really took off after he got the part of Gordon “Gordy” Howard the weatherman on the hit show “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” appearing on it from 1970 to 1977.
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Later, he got the father role in a sitcom about an African American family as James Evans Sr. in “Good Times.” It was a spin-off of “All in the Family” and “Maude” from TV giant Norman Lear.
Amos was on the series for three years before his character was killed in a car accident. Behind the scenes, the actor was unhappy with the direction of his character and others on the show, the Post noted.
During an interview in 2017, Amos said, “When the show first started, we had no African American writers on the show, and some of the attitudes they had written, as per my character and, frankly, for some of the other characters as well, caused me to say … ‘We can’t do this, we can’t do that.’ And they’d say, ‘What do you mean we can’t do this?’”
“They’d go on about their credits … and I’d look at each and every one of them and say, ‘Well, how long have you been black? That just doesn’t happen in the community. We don’t think that way. We don’t act that way. We don’t let our children do that,’” he added.
In 1977, he appeared in the mini-series “Roots” as adult Kunta Kinte, which him earned an Emmy nomination.
Amos’ TV acting credits include appearing on shows like “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” “In the House,” “The West Wing,” “Men in Trees,” and “The Ranch.” He also appeared on the big screen in movies like “Coming to America,” “Coming to America 2,” “Lock Up,” and “Die Hard 2.”
