Veteran Hollywood actor John Allen Amos, who starred in many iconic roles, passed away at age 84.
The actor passed away on August 21st, 2024 surrounded by family. This article discusses John Amos’ cause of death and provides his brief biography.
John Amos: Cause of Death
The family of the deceased actor announced the news of his death on Tuesday, October 1st. In a statement released by his publicist, John Amos died from natural causes.
“With a career spanning over five decades, Amos leaves behind a legacy of groundbreaking work on both television and film and a dedication to positive African American representation in media,” the statement read.
His son, Kelly Christopher Amos, described his father as a “man with a heart of gold” whose legacy would continue to live on.
His words: “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 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 added.
John Amos: Brief Biography
Amos was a temporary Kansas City Chief and a football player at Colorado State University before making his cinematic debut.
Amos’s major acting break came in 1970 after he left the gridiron when he was hired to play Gordy the weatherman on the popular “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.”
However, his portrayal of stoic father James Evans on “Good Times” in 1974 solidified his reputation as one of the greatest sitcom fathers ever on television.
He starred in sixty-one episodes of the comedy Norman Lear, which followed a hard-working family in a Chicago housing project as they struggled to make ends meet.
In the ground-breaking 1977 TV miniseries “Roots,” Amos played the adult Kunta Kinte and costarred with some of the greatest Black actors of that day, including Ben Vereen, LeVar Burton, Louis Gossett Jr., and Leslie Uggams.
Movie enthusiasts may recognise him most as Bruce Willis’s antagonist in 1990’s “Die Hard 2” or as fast-food tycoon Cleo McDowell from 1988’s popular Eddie Murphy comedy, “Coming to America.”
When he was hired for the critically acclaimed White House drama “The West Wing,” in 1999, his career on television took off, and he went on to play Adm. Percy “Fitz” Fitzwallace for five seasons.
John Amos: Personal Life
Amos had been married twice prior to his passing. He had two children from his previous marriage, which lasted from 1965 to 1975, with artist and equestrian Noel Mickelson: Shannon Amos, who is a writer and producer and the founder of Afterglow Multimedia, LLC, and K.C. Amos, a filmmaker who was nominated for a Grammy.
In 1978–1979, he married the actress Lillian Lehman for the second time.
The Hollywood Reporter has highlighted Shannon and K.C.’s tense relationship around the care provided for their parents.
