Legendary actor John Amos, the ultimate TV dad, has shuffled off this mortal coil at the age of 84, leaving fans everywhere clutching their tissues and their “Good Times” box sets.
Best known as James Evans Sr., the stern but loveable father on the CBS classic Good Times, and for gracing us with his royal presence in Coming to America, John Amos was a powerhouse on screen and a beacon of dad wisdom. Now, he’s gone to that great sitcom set in the sky, where the laugh tracks are eternal, and nobody cancels the show.
In a plot twist none of us saw coming, it turns out John passed away over a month ago! His son, K.C. Amos, let the cat out of the bag, saying the actor peacefully passed on August 21 in Los Angeles from natural causes. Talk about keeping things low-key—leave it to John to pull off the ultimate stealth move.
K.C. Amos broke the news with a heartfelt statement (via THR), calling his father “a man with the kindest heart and a heart of gold.” (Yes, two hearts—we’re assuming he was a Time Lord or something.) K.C. also reminded us of the obvious: John Amos wasn’t just any dad; he was the TV dad. Many of us grew up with him sternly dishing out life lessons from our living room screens. Frankly, we’re all honorary Evans family members at this point.
In his 84 years, John packed a whole lot of life into a lot of different roles, and his legacy in TV and film will be a treasure we rewatch forever.
We extend our deepest condolences to John’s loved ones—and to all of us who will now forever pour one out for TV’s coolest dad. Rest in peace, John Amos. May your reruns never fade, and may the eternal applause be loud and endless.
