John Amos, the 84-year-old Hollywood actor most recognized for his parts in “Good Times” and “Coming To America,” has passed away.
His son, Kelly Christopher Amos, said in a statement on Tuesday that the actor died on August 21 of natural causes.
He described his father as a man with a “heart of gold”, adding that his legacy “will live on”.
“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,” the statement reads.
“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.”
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Amos began his football career as a student at Colorado State University and tried out for the American Football League’s Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs. He was born on December 27, 1937, in New Jersey. When he was chosen to play WJN-TV weatherman Gordy Howard on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, his career in entertainment officially began.
Acting became Amos’s new hobby in 1970. He worked in both film and television for more than 50 years.
His film résumé also included ‘The World’s Greatest Athlete’ (1973), ‘Let’s Do It Again’ (1975), ‘The Beastmaster’ (1982), ‘Die Hard 2’ (1990), ‘Ricochet’ (1991), ‘Mac’ (1992), ‘Night Trap’ (1993), ‘For Better or Worse’ (1995), ‘The Players Club’ (1998), ‘Coming to America 2’ (2021) and ‘Because of Charley’ (2021).
In addition to appearing in more than 40 movies, he received nominations for the NAACP Image Awards, DVD Exclusive Awards, CableACE Awards, and Emmys.
Smith got married to Noel Mickelson in 1965. But in 1975, they got divorced.
After that, in 1978, he wed Lilian Lehman; nevertheless, they divorced in 1979, almost a year afterward.
