John Amos‘ children continue to spark speculation surrounding the death of their 84-year-old father who died on Aug. 21 in California, as previously reported.
The news was revealed by his son, Kelly Christopher “K.C.” Amos, 53, who informed the county of the passing of the Emmy-nominated television dad.
The death of the actor best known for playing James Evans Sr. on the 1970s-era “Good Times” sitcom has caused strife among his surviving family members including Amos’ daughter, Shannon. But the family is not ruling out foul play.
TMZ reports that Amos died in Inglewood Hospital from congestive heart failure, according to his death certificate. No autopsy was performed on Amos’ body, and he was cremated nine days later on Aug. 30.
K.C., who allegedly has possession of his father’s ashes, waited nearly six weeks to publicly announce his father’s passing, releasing a statement on Oct. 1.
In a shocking admission, the actor’s daughter, Shannon Amos, 57, claimed she found out about the New Jersey native’s passing from press reports.
“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,” Shannon Amos wrote in her Instagram caption on Oct. 1.
Shannon later made some jarring allegations about her father’s last few hours in her Instagram story, noting, “The Truth will reveal itself.”
In another story, she posted, “Someone was in the ER the night my father died and pretended to be his daughter. I’m his only daughter. We believe it was Belinda Foster, the woman also posing as his publicist.”
Reports of bad blood between K.C. and Shannon have been circulating for years. In June 2023, Shannon claimed John Amos was “a victim of elder abuse and financial exploitation” at the hands of her brother.
John denied the allegations and a Los Angeles Police Department investigation found no evidence of abuse. The “Coming to America” cast member spoke about the conflict among his lineage during a December 2023 interview with People.
“Right now, it is somewhat acrimonious, but never mind what you might read or hear about in the paper or on this medium or that medium platform,” John said. “Suffice it to say we are still family, and we love each other, and that’s the bottom line.”
A November 2023 article by The Hollywood Reporter covered K.C. Amos’ cross-country travels with John Amos. Their journeys were filmed for TikTok content and a feature-length documentary about John titled “America’s Dad.”
John is quoted saying he believes his “estranged” daughter Shannon has taken advantage of him “financially” and “emotionally.” Those comments reportedly took place during a June 2023 phone call between the actor and his lawyers.
In response to the mistreatment accusations, Shannon told the outlet, “My brother has been brainwashing him.” John’s goddaughter, Amy Goudy, claimed the “Roots” star told her he did not remember making those remarks about his daughter.
Amy Goudy also recently addressed finding out about John Amos passing away from the media and K.C.’s alleged deceitfulness. In an Oct. 1-dated Instagram post she declared, “K.C. will rot for this.”
Additionally, Goudy shared an Instagram Story with a caption that read, “[John Amos] died August 21st and K.C. did not tell anyone… not John’s daughter or granddaughter… not his manager… no one. The level of evil is beyond words.”
She reinforced Shannon’s claim about someone else being present during Amos’ final hours.
“We backed off the elder abuse claims when KC kidnapped John from the hospital. But now we need the world to know how diabolical he is. He wasn’t even with John when he died. BELINDA FOSTER who who is the “representative” lied and said she was his daughter…and they hid the fact that he died for forty-five days.”
Goudy attached an alleged screenshot of an IG exchange between Shannon and a woman who claimed “My daughter was working in the ER the night he passed. She was really hurt by it. I’m just curious why it took so long for the daughter to announce it. She was the [only] family member there with him that night.”
Shannon replied, “because that wasn’t me. I’m his only daughter and that woman was lying. we only found out today with the rest of the world.”
John’s granddaughter has also made a public statement about the situation. Quiera Williams wrote on her Instagram Story, “I appreciate all the concern [and] the messages. I am not OK so I’m going to unplug. I’ll get back to you when I can. My grandfather died Aug. 21!!!!!!!!!!!!”
Williams further expressed how upset she was after finding out her grandfather passed on social media in a video. She said, “Let that me a little insight as to what’s really been occurring. My uncle ain’t innocent. At all. You knew about this. You didn’t tell us. I found out on social media with the rest of the world.”
In a deleted post, Williams continued, “No revenge because people who are naturally ugly inside end up destroying their own lives anyway.
Shannon and K.C. Amos are the only children from John Amos’ first marriage to Noel “Noni” Mickelson. They wed in 1965 and divorced in 1975.
The widow’s well-being also created a rift between her two kids. After Noni became a blind quadriplegic from an aneurysm and stroke in 1996, Shannon and K.C. clashed over proposed arrangements for their ailing mom as well as her estate funds from a malpractice settlement.
K.C. reportedly revealed online that his mother died in June 2017, however, Shannon told The Hollywood Reporter that Noni had passed in 2016. For the Amos family, who allege that John suffered from dementia, this is feeling all too familiar.
“Our father suffered from dementia, and KC often gave John verbal prompts to create a narrative on social media that was not reflective of the truth. We were deeply concerned that our father may have been neglected and isolated during his final days as we received photos from concerned neighbors and a medical professional,” Goudy wrote in a Facebook statement on behalf of the family.
“One photo even prompted an Elder Abuse investigation to no avail. This situation mirrors Shannon and KC’s mother’s passing. KC also prevented family members from being present and making decisions together. Shannon fought to be by her mother’s side, and ensured she had agency over her final days,” she continued.
Goudy further alleged that the “Player’s Club” star was “isolated” from his family and close friends over the past year and that John was “cremated without the family’s knowledge.”
She believes her godfather was taken advantage of by K.C., Eugene Brummer and Belinda Foster, who claims to have been John’s spokesperson.
“We suspect these actions may have been taken to alter potential wills and collect life insurance or other benefits,” Goudy added. “This is made even more concerning by KC’s struggles with addiction and mental health issues, as well as his previous arrests.”
In July 2023, K.C. was arrested for allegedly threatening to kill his sister and sending her images of guns weeks after she had him removed as their dad’s medical power of attorney.
Amos’ family is actively working to find out what happened over the final hours of his life.