John Amos, who played the dad on Good Times, Cleo McDowell in Coming to America, and more, dies at 84

John Amos, the beloved actor from Good Times, Coming to America, Die Hard 2, and Roots, dies at 84

The hits keep coming this week as word reaches the masses that John Amos, the beloved actor who played James Evans Sr. on Good Times, Cleo McDowell from Eddie Murphy’s 1988 comedy Coming to America, and much more, has passed away at 84.

Amos died on August 21 in Los Angeles of natural causes, his son, Kelly Christopher Amos, announced.

“It is with heartfelt sadness that I share with you that my father has transitioned,” he 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.”

With a promising football career ahead of him while playing at Colorado State University, Amos set his sights on training camp tryouts for the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs of the American Football League. While the gridiron life suited him, a career in film and television took precedence after scoring the role of WJN-TV weatherman Gordy Howard on The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

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About the Author

Born and raised in New York, then immigrated to Canada, Steve Seigh has been a JoBlo.com editor, columnist, and critic since 2012. He started with Ink & Pixel, a column celebrating the magic and evolution of animation, before launching the companion YouTube series Animation Movies Revisited. He’s also the host of the Talking Comics Podcast, a personality-driven audio show focusing on comic books, film, music, and more. You’ll rarely catch him without headphones on his head and pancakes on his breath.