JOHN AMOS, STAR OF “GOOD TIMES” AND “ROOTS”, PASSES AWAY AT 84
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John Amos passed away in Los Angeles at age 84. He was most known for his portrayal of a strict father in the sitcom “Good Times,” which was the first in America to feature a two-parent Black family. He also starred in “Roots,” a show about slavery that rose to prominence in the late 1970s and portrayed a story of enslavement.
Belinda Foster, his publicist, confirmed his passing on Tuesday, stating that he passed away on August 21. She did not give a reason for the delay in announcing his passing or provide a cause.
Mr. Amos’s acting career spanned more than five decades, with his breakthrough coming in 1970 on the CBS comedy “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” playing Gordy, the weatherman on a local television news program working alongside Ms. Moore’s Mary Richards, an associate producer. After three seasons, Mr. Amos left for “Good Times,” a Norman Lear production and a spinoff of the producer’s sitcom “Maude.”
Following the success of “Good Times” and “Roots,” Mr. Amos appeared in dozens of other TV shows well into his 80s, including “The West Wing,” “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” “30 Rock,” “Two and a Half Men” and “The Righteous Gemstones.”
In film, he played Cleo McDowell, the father of Eddie Murphy’s character’s love interest in “Coming to America” (1988), and amassed numerous supporting parts, including in “Lock Up” (1989), starring Sylvester Stallone; “Die Hard 2” (1990); and “Dr. Doolittle 3” (2006). He also appeared in a slew of TV movies, such as “Disappearing Acts” (2000), starring Wesley Snipes.
In 2019, Mr. Amos made a cameo appearance, as himself, in the movie “Uncut Gems,” starring Adam Sandler
John Allen Amos Jr. was born on Dec. 27, 1939, in Newark, N.J., to John and Annabelle Amos and grew up in East Orange, N.J. John Sr. was an auto mechanic. As a boy, John Jr. dreamed of becoming a football star.
He is survived by two children from his first marriage to Noel J. Mickelson in 1965: Shannon, a daughter, and Kelly Christopher, a boy who goes by K.C. His 1978 second marriage to actress Lillian Lehman resulted in no children. The two marriages ended in separation.
Shannon and K.C. got into a public argument in 2023 over who was failing to provide their father the proper care as his health deteriorated, sparking a family rivalry. As “false and unmerited,” Mr. Amos rejected the allegations. In 2024, the Los Angeles Police Department concluded its investigation into the case, claiming insufficient evidence.
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