'Roots' And 'Coming To America' Actor, John Amos Is Dead

  John Amos

Iconic American actor, John Amos has been reported dead at the age of 84.

According to Amos’ son, K.C., the actor died of natural causes on Aug. 21 in Los Angeles.

“It is with heartfelt sadness that I share with you that my father has transitioned,” K.C. shared in a statement. “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.”

Born in 1939 in Newark, New Jersey, Amos initially attempted to pursue a career in the NFL following his time playing college football at Colorado State University.

He later entered the world of acting in 1970, making appearances on The Cosby Show and several episodes of The Tim Conway Comedy Hour before he landed his breakout role as Gordy the weatherman on The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

Amos starred as the father on the hit 1970s sitcom Good Times and earned an Emmy nomination for his role in the seminal 1977 miniseries Roots.

He also played Admiral Percy Fitzwallace in the first five seasons of the hit US political show The West Wing.

Amos played James Evans Sr. on Good Times, which featured one of the television's first Black two-parent families.

That show was the closest depiction in reality to life as an African American family living in those circumstances as it could be, Amos told Time magazine in 2021.

Amos left the show following disagreements about its portrayal of African Americans in the later seasons.

He then landed the role of an adult Kunta Kinte, the centerpiece of Roots, based on Alex Haleys novel set during and after the era of slavery in the US.

The miniseries was a critical and ratings blockbuster, and Amos earned one of its 37 Emmy nominations.

He told Time: "I knew that it was a life-changing role for me, as an actor and just from a humanistic standpoint.

"It was the culmination of all of the misconceptions and stereotypical roles that I had lived and seen being offered to me.

“It was like a reward for having suffered those indignities.”

Before his acting career, Amos served as a member of the New Jersey State National Guard. He played college football with Colorado State University followed by a brief stint with the Kansas City Chiefs in the pre-merger AFL.

He is he survived by his son Kelly Christopher “K.C.” Amos and daughter, Shannon.