John Amos, best known for playing James Evans Sr. on “Good Times,” has died at age 84.
The actor’s son, Kelly Christopher Amos, announced that his father passed away on Aug. 21 in Los Angeles of natural causes.
“It is with heartfelt sadness that I share with you that my father has transitioned,” Kelly said 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.”
Kelly said his dad “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,” he concluded.
John got his start in showbiz after he landed the role of WJN-TV weatherman Gordy Howard on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” from 1970 to 1973.
In 1974, he became a household name for his portrayal of James Evans Sr., the husband of Florida Evans, in the hit show “Good Times.”
Although John was originally cast in the CBS show as a hard-working father of three, he and his on-screen wife, played by Esther Rolle, wanted to portray a positive image of an African-American family on TV.
John would often clash with the writers of the show due to their refusal to show the family, who was financially struggling and living in a Chicago housing project, in a better light.
In a 2017 interview on “Sway In the Morning,” John claimed the writers did not understand black people and their experiences in America.
“When the show first started, we 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, ‘We can’t do this, we can’t do that,’” he recalled.
“And they’d say, ‘What do you mean we can’t do this?’ They’d go on about their credits … 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,” he added.
“We don’t think that way. We don’t act that way. We don’t let our children do that.’”
John starred in three seasons of “Good Times” until he was fired by executive producer Norman Lear. His character was killed off the show at the start of Season 4 in 1976.
In 1977, John received an Emmy nomination for his role as adult Kunta Kinte in “Roots.”
The actor also has acting credits in several movies and TV shows, including “The West Wing,” “The District,” “Hunter,” “Coming to America,” “Dr. Dolittle 3,” The Player’s Club” and many more.
