John Amos’ Cause of Death Released

Good Times star John Amos’ cause of death has been revealed. The actor’s son, K.C. Amos, announced his death on Oct. 1, revealing he died on Aug. 21 in Los Angeles. At the time, a cause of death had not been announced, but according to TMZ, which obtained the death certificate, Amos died of congestive heart failure. He was 84. Additionally, Amos’ body was cremated just nine days after he died on Aug. 30.

The death certificate states that K.C. was the “informant,” which meant that he informed L.A. County of his father’s death. No other significant medical conditions were listed, and an autopsy was not performed. K.C. is in possession of his dad’s ashes and reportedly did not disclose his death to his sister, Shannon, who only found out when he made the public announcement yesterday.

Amos is best known for his role as James Evans Sr. on the ’70s CBS sitcom Good Times, which ran for six seasons. He starred on the series alongside Esther Rolle, Ja’Net DuBois, Ralph Carter, Bern Nadette Stanis, Jimmie Walker, Johnny Brown, Janet Jackson, and Ben Powers. He also portrayed the adult Kunta Kinte in the critically acclaimed miniseries Roots and appeared on shows such as The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The West Wing, and The District, and films including The Beastmaster, Coming to America, and Die Hard 2. Aside from also being on Broadway, he had a brief professional football career and was signed with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Plenty of stars have been paying tribute to Amos, including Walker, who told People, “John was a great actor, and my condolences go out to his entire family, friends, and his many, many fans.” Martin Lawrence had taken to X to write, “This one hits different. My condolences go out to the family of a true legend, John Amos.” Roots star Ben Vereen told the outlet, “He was tenacious. He was dedicated, and he made a path for others to follow. I’m glad I had the opportunity to have him in my life… We were privileged and honored that he came this way.”

“He was already done [by the time I started on Roots], but he would come by the set, and he’d hang out and, you know, joke with us and laugh and watch, “Vereen continued. “He was intensely interested in which way the series was going. So he’d come by, and he’d encourage us. I remember that.  John would want to be remembered mostly for his work and his humanitarian [work]. The love of his craft and dedicated acting. A dedicated person. John gave it his all.”