Why John Amos wanted his death announced six weeks later

John Amos, a Hollywood legend of the past 50 years, died at the age of 84. The news was confirmed by his publicist, Belinda Foster, to American media.

The actor was known for roles like Kunta Kinte in 'Roots,' father James Evans in the sitcom 'Good Times,' and fast food manager / the bride's father in Eddy Murphy's 'Coming to America' movies.

Surprisingly, the publicist told CNN that the veteran actor had passed away on August 21, 2024. The news did not become public until a month and a half later.

Kelly Christopher 'KC' Amos, the actor's son, was the first to send a farewell message to the public. However, he did not explain why the news had been held secret for so long.

In the picture, John Amos (right) with the late James Avery in 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'.

As KC wrote on social media: "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."

KC is the man on the right in this photo. Next to him (second right) is Shannon, John Amos' daughter. As it turns out, the siblings have had a long-standing argument and do not speak to each other, People magazine reports. As a result, she learned about her father's death through the media and not through her father's inner circle at the time of his death.

In response to the daughter's revelations, People magazine clarified the situation with the actor's representative Belinda Foster. It turns out that the mystery of the long silence surrounding the legendary actor's death has to do with the family feud described above.

"It was John who requested the delay in announcing his death to Shannon and the rest of the world," Belinda Foster revealed.

It had been the actor's own wish to have his death announced at a later point because he wanted to avoid his passing would be turned into "a circus" by his fighting children.

Image: HBO / YouTube

In order to honor the actor's last wish and not make a bigger 'circus' of his passing, let's focus on the fantastic career John Amos built over the course of half a century.

As a young man, John Amos wanted to play football. He had a stint in the American football scene during the sixties but ended up being a social worker and advertising copywriter in New York. Then, in 1970, he landed his first role: Gordy Howard in 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show'.

John Amos became a celebrity in the 1970s, with his roles as the patriarch in the comedy 'Good Times' (1974-1976) and as Toby/the elder Kunta Kinte in the acclaimed 'Roots' (1977).

Besides many other productions, such as 'Love American Style', 'Sanford and Son' and 'The New Van Dyke Show', it was his role as James Evans Sr, the patriarch of 'Good Times' that gave him global fame and opened the doors of Hollywood for him.

'Roots' would consolidate his status as a star and lead to an Emmy nomination for Best Actor. "I knew [the older Kunta Kinte] was a role that would change my life, as an actor and as a person," he told Time magazine in 2021.

A decade later, John Amos played the legendary role of Cleo McDowell in 'Coming to America' (1988). He was the owner of a fast food restaurant where the Prince of Zamunda (Eddy Murphy) had his first American job and met the love of his life: McDowell's daughter.

Image: Paramount / Disney

Other gems of the iconic actor's career were 'Love Boat' (1983), 'Murder She Wrote' (1987), 'Die Hard 2' (1991), 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' (1994-1995) and 'The West Wing' (1999-2004). Obviously, John Amos will be greatly missed.

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