John Amos has passed away. The Good Times actor was 84.
John Amos passed away at age 84 on August 21, 2024, in Los Angeles due to natural causes.
“It is with heartfelt sadness that I share with you that my father has transitioned,” Amos’ son Kelly Christopher Amos said in a statement, via The Hollywood Reporter. “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.”
Amos was born on December 27, 1939, in Newark, New Jersey. He played football at Colorado State University and had training camp tryouts with the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs.
Amos’ acting career kicked off in 1970 when he played Weatherman Gordon “Gordy” Howard on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. He went on to play James Evan Sr. in 61 episodes of Good Times, though he was dismissed from the show at the end of Season 3 after clashing with the writers.
“We had a number of differences,” Amos previously said. “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. But 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.”
Following that, Amos starred in series such as Future Cop, Hunter, 704 Hauser, In the House, The West Wing, The District, All About the Andersons, and more. He played Fred Wilkes in three episodes of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
His filmography included 1982’s The Beastmaster, 1988’s Coming to America, 1990’s Die Hard 2, 2012’s Madea’s Witness Protection, 2021’s Coming 2 America, and more.
ComingSoon sends condolences to Amos’ family and friends at this time.
