The final year of actor John Amos’ life was marred by a messy, public battle between his son K.C. Amos and his daughter Shannon Amos. On Tuesday, K.C. confirmed that the “Good Times” star passed away on Aug. 21. The shocking news has fans wondering why we’re just finding out about his tragic death at the age of 84.
LeVar Burton on John Amos
Typically, when celebrities pass away, it’s not news that’s easily kept quiet. If it’s not confirmed by the family, it’s leaked out by law enforcement or hospital sources to TMZ and other media outlets. Not hearing about this for over a month is definitely an unusual occurrence.
Did the family just want time to grieve privately, or is the delay between his death and the news breaking connected to the ongoing Amos family drama? Since the actor’s death was just confirmed, there’s still a lot of details we don’t know, but it feels like we’re going to see more shocking headlines come out of this family battle..
As previously reported by The Root, in May 2023, the “Coming to America” actor was hospitalized, which led his daughter to claim he was a victim of elder abuse. John called Shannon’s allegations “a lie,” adding that “no one is abusing him.”
The story continued to get crazier with K.C.’s July 2023 arrest for allegedly sending his sister “threatening and ‘concerning’ texts.” The family drama was still in the headlines in March when Shannon accused her brother of “neglect” in their father’s care. John responded to the claims in a statement, saying, “This story about neglect is false and unmerited.”
Now, it looks like the family never settled their issues. On Tuesday, Shannon released a statement on Instagram which confirmed that she was also just discovering the news about her father’s passing.
“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 wrote.
Her emotional message was accompanied by a clip of her dancing with John, as Luther Vandross’ “Dance With my Father” played. While she alluded to “uncertainties surrounding his passing,” she did seem relieved that her father is at peace.
“This should be a time of honoring and celebrating his life, yet we are struggling to navigate the wave of emotions and uncertainties surrounding his passing,” she continued. “Still, there is some semblance of peace in knowing my father is finally free.”
It’s clear that she and her brother have a strained, difficult relationship, but that doesn’t necessarily explain how more than a month can go by before she finds out her father has died. Even if she and K.C. aren’t speaking, you’d think other members of the family would have heard something.
Of course, fans on social media have their own theories why the news was kept quiet. One person speculated that the family just wanted time to grieve without public pressure, writing on X, “The family kept it quiet so they’re not getting hundreds of calls for ‘questions’ from media. Can you imagine grieving a loss and hundreds going ‘How did he die? What was his last words? Did he do anything to prepare? What’s the next steps for your family?’”
Another user thinks the actor’s age is the reason, posting, “It’s not uncommon for older actors to pass away and their families keep it quiet for a while. It’s happened before.”
Someone else guessed that the siblings’ fighting is why we’re just hearing the news, writing on X, “I’m thinking it’s because of the feud between the brother and sister…Both accused the other of elder abuse and fighting for control of their dad’s finances.”
Hopefully, as fans around the world celebrate the legacy and career of John Amos, questions about how the news of his death was delivered won’t get in the way of remembering his greatness.
