John Amos’ Daughter Reveals She Learned About His Death From The News: ‘Devastated’

The daughter of “Good Times” actor John Amos says she didn’t learn about his death until weeks after the fact.

Shannon Amos is sharing that, despite her father reportedly having passed away in August, she only heard the news on Tuesday — “through the media,” like the rest of the world — after her brother K.C. Amos announced it.

“I am without words…Our family has received the heartbreaking news that my Dad, John Allen Amos, Jr., transitioned on August 21st,” Shannon, a self-described travel expert and “plant medicine ceremonialist,” wrote in the caption of an Instagram video showing her and her late father dancing outdoors beneath overcast skies.

“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,” she continued, noting that she’s “struggling to navigate the wave of emotions and uncertainties surrounding his passing.”

Amos is perhaps best known as the “Good Times” dad James Evans Sr., a role he played in the show’s first three seasons, beginning in 1974. He also portrayed an adult Kunta Kinte in “Roots,” had a recurring role on “The West Wing,” and starred opposite the likes of Bruce Willis, Eddie Murphy and Denzel Washington throughout his career.

K.C. confirmed in his announcement Tuesday that his father died of natural causes at 84 years old in his Los Angeles home. K.C. himself has been embroiled in a bitter battle with his sister since at least last summer.

Shannon reportedly launched a GoFundMe in June 2023 in what she said was an effort to raise money for her father’s care, claiming that he had “fallen victim to elder abuse and exploitation” by a “trusted caregiver.” In March, she filed a complaint with the Los Angeles Police Department.

Law enforcement sources told TMZ at the time that these accusations regarded K.C.

K.C. and his father denied these claims (John Amos told Parade in a statement that he was “doing well”), but Shannon told The Hollywood Reporter in November that she provided Colorado and New Jersey police with documentation proving otherwise.

She also reportedly alleged that K.C. was exerting control over his father and his business affairs, had impersonated the actor in various communications, and had disregarded his medical needs while isolating the elderly actor from the rest of his family.

K.C. told the Reporter in November that his sister was lying in an effort to make their father appear “unfit.” He also announced that he was developing a documentary about the actor titled “American Dad,” a moniker he earned from his iconic “Good Times” performance.

“He was a man with the kindest heart and a heart of gold… and he was loved the world over,” K.C. wrote Tuesday in his statement on his father’s death. “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.”