Roots and Coming To America star John Amos dies aged 84
John Amos, who starred in the seminal 1977 TV series Roots and appeared alongside Eddie Murphy in comedy film Coming to America, has died at the age of 84.
The US actor died on August 21 in Los Angeles of natural causes, his publicist Belinda Foster said.
“He was a man with the kindest heart and a heart of gold … and he was loved the world over," his son, Kelly Christopher Amos, said in a statement.
“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."
His agent, Julia Buchwald, added: "His impact on the industry and those who knew him will never be forgotten.”
Amos shot to fame in the 1970s when he played Gordy Howard, the weatherman on The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
It led to his role as family patriarch James Evans Sr in the Norman Lear sitcom, Good Times, which featured one of television’s first black two-parent families.
He went on to portray the older version of Kunta Kinte in the ground-breaking miniseries, Roots.
Amos scored his only Emmy nomination for his role in the 1977 series which depicted the atrocities of slavery.
“I knew that it was a life-changing role for me, as an actor and just from a humanistic standpoint,” Amos told Time magazine.
“It was the culmination of all of the misconceptions and stereotypical roles that I had lived and seen being offered to me. It was like a reward for having suffered those indignities,” he added.
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Other starring roles included Admiral Percy Fitzwallace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on US drama The West Wing; and Major Grant in Die Hard 2.
His other TV appearances included Hunter, The District, Men in Trees, All About the Andersons, Two and a Half Men, and The Ranch. He was also in Ice Cube and Dr. Dre’s 1994 video “Natural Born Killaz”.
In 2020, Amos was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame. Prior to his acting career, Amos served as a member of the New Jersey State National Guard, and in 2020 was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame.
He is survived by daughter Shannon, a former entertainment executive, and Kelly Christopher, a Grammy-nominated video music director and editor.
They were from his first marriage to Noel Mickelson, whom he met in college. His second marriage to actor Lillian Lehman also ended in divorce.
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