Actor John Amos, the star of movies such as ‘Coming to America,’ ‘Roots’ and many more has passed away at the age of 84.
The actor’s son, Kelly Christopher Amos announced the sad news in a statement:
“It is with heartfelt sadness that I share with you that my father has transitioned,” said his son Kelly Christopher Amos 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. 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 was my dad, my best friend, and my hero. Thank you for your prayers and support at this time.”
Also in news – Callum Turner, Riley Keough, Jamie Bell, Lukas Gage & more join ‘Rosebush Pruning’
Born on December 27, 1939, the New Jersey native played football at Colorado State University, where he earned a sociology degree. He also was a Golden Gloves boxing champion. Amos went on to land the role of weatherman Gordon “Gordy” Howard on ‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show’ in 1970. From there, he starred in ‘Good Times,’ a comedy spinoff of ‘Maude’ and ‘All in the Family,’ and played father James Evans Sr. in 1974. The Norman Lear program made history as the first TV show to follow an African American, two-parent household.
In 1977, Amos starred as Kunta Kinte in the historical miniseries ‘Roots.’ The series, about slavery in the United States, won nine Emmys, a Golden Globe and Peabody Award, Amos was nominated for an Emmy for his performance. On film, he had roles in Eddie Murphy’s ‘Coming to America’ and its 2021 sequel ‘Coming 2 America,’ ‘Die Hard 2,’ ‘The Beastmaster,’ ‘Lock Up’ and ‘Me Tyme.’ He and his son also produced the upcoming documentary about his life, titled ‘America’s Dad.’
