John Amos’ Cause of Death: How the Late ‘Roots’ & ‘Good Times’ Star Died

The actor died at the age of 84 in August 2024, but his death was not announced until nearly two months later, on October 1, by his representative and later confirmed by his son.

John Amos was renowned for his film and television roles — specifically in Good Times and Roots . With an acting career spanning five decades, the New Jersey native built a long-lasting legacy in the entertainment world. John died at home during the summer of 2024, which one of his children confirmed nearly two months later.

“It is with heartfelt sadness that I share with you that my father has transitioned,” John’s son, K.C. Amos , said in a statement, obtained by PEOPLE . “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.”

K.C. continued, “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.”

A day later, a death certificate obtained by the outlet revealed the cause of death. Read on to learn more about John’s cause of death, as well as details about his life, career, and family.

John Amos’ Cause of Death

Initially, K.C. confirmed that John died of “natural causes.”

Now, the death certificate obtained by TMZ reveals that the actor died of congestive heart failure on August 21 at 5:18 p.m. in a hospital in Inglewood, California. There were no other significant medical conditions that contributed to his death, and no autopsy was performed. The certificate also indicates that he was cremated on August 30, just nine days after his passing.

His son was listed as the informant who reported his death to Los Angeles County. K.C. also appears to be in possession of his father’s ashes, as the late actor’s “place of disposition” is listed as K.C.’s address.”

Who Was John Amos’ Good Times Character?

John played the no-nonsense character James Evans Sr., who was the family patriarch of the Evans family. After three seasons on the show, however, John’s character was taken out of the storyline. Years later, the actor revealed that he had multiple disagreements with the series’ writers.

During a 2017 interview, John pointed out that when production on Good Times began, the set “had no African-American writers on the show, and some of the attitudes they had written, as per my character and, frankly, for some of the other characters as well, caused me to say, ‘Uh uh, we can’t do this, we can’t do that.’ And they’d say, ‘What do you mean we can’t do this?’”

“They’d go on about their credits and the rest of that, and I’d look at each and every one of them and say, ‘Well, how long have you been Black? That just doesn’t happen in the community. We don’t think that way. We don’t act that way. We don’t let our children do that,'” John said, according to Ebony.

John Amos’ Children

John shares his son, Kelly Christopher “K.C.” Amos , and his daughter, Shannon Amos , with his first wife, Noel Mickelson . John and Noel were married from 1965 to 1975. He then moved on with his second wife, actress Lillian Lehman . The two were married from 1978 to 1979.