Yahoo Lifestyle John Amos, Good Times and Roots Star, Dead at 84
Emmy-nominated actor John Amos, best known for his role as family patriarch James Evans on CBS’ Good Times, has died. He was 84 years old.
Amos’ son, Kelly Christopher Amos, tells The Hollywood Reporter that his father passed on Aug. 21 of natural causes. (TMZ on Oct. 2 reported that Amos died of congestive heart failure.)
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You can read Kelly Amos’ full statement below:
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.
Amos’ first major TV role came in 1970, when he was cast as WJM-TV weatherman Gordy Howard on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. He appeared in a total of 13 episodes across the sitcom’s seven-season run.
Three years later, he made his debut as Henry Evans, husband of Esther Rolle’s Florida Evans, on the All in the Family spinoff Maude. The following TV season, Good Times was spun off of the Bea Arthur classic and his character was renamed James. The landmark series represented television’s first African American two-parent family sitcom.
Due to disagreements with executive producer Norman Lear, Amos was let go from Good Times following Season 3. In the Season 4 premiere, James was killed off in a car accident.
One year after his Good Times departure, Amos portrayed the adult version of Kunta Kinte in the iconic miniseries Roots. His performance earned him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor for a Single Appearance in a Drama or Comedy Series.
Amos and Lear would ultimately re-team on the short-lived ’90s sitcom 704 Hauser, a sitcom set in the world of All in the Family that centered on a Black family living in the former Bunker household. The pair most recently worked together on ABC’s Live in Front of a Studio Audience in 2019.
Additional TV credits included CBS’ The District, on which he played Mayor Ethan Baker; and NBC’s The West Wing, on which he recurred as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Percy “Fitz” Fitzwallace.
His film credits included Coming to America and Die Hard 2.
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