John Amos' Cause Of Death Revealed Amid Public Clashes Between His Children
“Good Times” star John Amos died of congestive heart failure more than a month ago, People reports.
The news of his passing at 84 years old broke Tuesday, though Amos reportedly had died more than one month earlier. His son, K.C. Amos, divulged at the time that natural causes were to blame.
According to a death certificate obtained earlier this week by People, Amos died of congestive heart failure on Aug. 21 at 5:18 p.m. at a hospital in Inglewood. The certificate also confirmed Amos was cremated on Aug. 30 without a prior autopsy.
The slow drip of news about the actor’s passing has exacerbated a feud between K.C. and his sister, Shannon Amos — who announced Wednesday that she only learned about her father’s death “through the media.” K.C. was the person who reported John Amos’ death to police, according to People.
“We are devastated and left with many questions about how this happened 45 days ago, learning about it through the media like so many of you,” Shannon wrote on Instagram at the time, adding she is “struggling” to process the “uncertainties surrounding his passing.”
The patriarch’s death has only worsened the battle between K.C. and Shannon, who previously accused him online and in official filings with authorities in New Jersey and Colorado of “elder abuse,” isolating their father from the rest of the family and allegedly exploiting his finances.
Shannon reportedly launched a GoFundMe in June 2023 in what she said was an effort to raise money for her father’s care. (Amos denied claims of abuse to Parade at the time and said through his representative, Belinda Foster, that he was “doing well” and that the GoFundMe’s description of his situation was inaccurate.)
The following month, K.C. was arrested after Shannon claimed he had sent her “terroristic” threats via text message.
Los Angeles police reportedly even opened an investigation into the matter but closed the case in April without bringing any charges against either party.
In statements to news outlets, K.C. has denied all claims of abuse. Foster, meanwhile, on Friday attempted to clarify why Shannon hadn’t been notified.
“At the time of John’s passing, K.C. was under a strict no-contact order from the Superior Court of New Jersey based on the Complaint that his sister Shannon brought against him in 2023,” she said.
While the actor’s goddaughter, Amy Goudy, shared a Facebook statement Wednesday on behalf of herself and Shannon to suggest Amos “was likely cremated to avoid any potential investigation,” Foster revealed Friday that it was Amos himself who requested as much.
“At the time of his death, John was concerned that Shannon might turn his death and internment into a circus as she had done with other aspects of his life,” she told People. “It was John who requested the delay in announcing his death to Shannon and the rest of the world.”
Amos was best known as the father on “Good Times” but also earned an Emmy nomination for his role in the seminal 1977 miniseries “Roots.”