While fellow actors, celebrities, and fans continue to mourn the death of beloved “Good Times” actor John Amos, it seems his passing has spawned an all-new concern.
LeVar Burton on John Amos
As previously reported by The Root, John was reported dead on Aug. 21, despite the public—and Amos’ own daughter Shannon—only learning of it on Tuesday. This proved to be just another notch in the belt that is the complicated relationship between Shannon and her brother KC. If you’ll remember, in May 2023, the “Coming to America” star was hospitalized, which subsequently led Shannon to allege that he was a victim of elder abuse. John would go on to debunk her claim, clarifying that it was “a lie” and that “no one is abusing him.”
Fast forward two months later in July, K.C. was arrested for allegedly sending his sister “threatening and ‘concerning’ texts.” This, in turn, caused Shannon to accuse her brother of “neglect” as it related to their father’s care back in March of this year. John once again stepped in debunk his daughter’s claims, saying at the time that “this story about neglect is false and unmerited.”
Now in a new statement published by John’s goddaughter Amy Goudy by “the collective family and close friends of John Amos” on Facebook, they’re alleging that not only were they not notified of the “Roots” star’s death nor do they have a death certificate—they were also unaware of where and how he died. They also claimed that they fear “he was likely cremated to avoid any potential investigation into the conditions surrounding his final days.” According to TMZ on Wednesday, the actor passed away from congestive heart failure and was cremated just nine days after he died.
The statement goes on to claim that over the past year, John was “isolated” from his close family and friends by KC and that he “controlled and monitored his calls and severed ties with” Shannon, John’s brother, his grandchildren, business manager, goddaughter, former accountant and more. It also shared the family’s concerns that John was “neglected and isolated” during his final days and that this situation mirrors that of the Amos matriarch, specifically as it relates to Shannon having to allegedly fight with KC to give their mom agency in her last days and be by her side before her passing.
As the statement concludes, it ends on an even more shocking note. The first being that the family believed that John was cremated without their knowledge at KC’s behest “to alter potential wills and collect life insurance or other benefits.” They cite John’s son’s previous struggles with mental health, addiction and prior arrests as the reason for their logic. The second concern is that at this juncture, the family has “refused to rule out the possibility of foul play,” citing Amos’ alleged spokespersons Eugene Brummer and Belinda Foster as people who “may have taken advantage” of the actor’s vulnerability in his ailing state—which makes the true details surrounding John’s death much more disheartening.
