The death of veteran actor John Amos, known for his iconic roles in the 1970s television hits “Good Times” and “Roots,” has become the center of a swirling controversy as his daughter, Shannon Amos, takes legal steps to investigate the circumstances surrounding his passing. This development marks the latest chapter in a publicly unfolding dispute with her brother, K.C. Amos, concerning their father’s care during his final months.
John Amos, aged 84, passed away on August 21, reportedly from congestive heart failure, according to an announcement made by his publicist, Belinda Foster, on October 1. However, the timeline and details surrounding his death have been questioned by some family members.
Shannon Amos, 58, acting as a co-trustee of her father’s estate, alongside five other family members and two close associates of John Amos, released a statement expressing their collective surprise at learning about his death through media reports, rather than from direct family notification.
In contrast, K.C. Amos, 54, stated that it was their father’s explicit wish that Shannon and other family members not be immediately informed of his death. “There was a discussion of contacting other family members and Pops said not to contact anyone, and I honored his request,” K.C. Amos explained last month, highlighting what he believed to be his father’s final wishes.
Shannon Amos has publicly voiced concerns and initiated actions to seek clarity. She revealed in a recent interview that she has formally requested her father’s medical records from Centinela Hospital Medical Center in Los Angeles, where he passed away. Despite three requests, she reports that the hospital has yet to respond, citing patient privacy laws as the reason for their silence. Hospital officials have confirmed they cannot comment on the matter due to these same privacy regulations.
Taking her concerns further, Shannon Amos has retained legal counsel in the form of James H. Davis III. Davis, in a news release issued on December 24, stated the family’s need for transparency, asserting, “the family deserves to know the full circumstances surrounding Mr. Amos’ care and the events that led to his passing.” He further emphasized their commitment to uncovering the truth, “We are committed to pursuing all available avenues to ensure that these questions are answered.”
John Amos in Roots, depicting a scene from the historical drama series, emphasizing his acting career.
The hiring of Davis marks a significant escalation in the already strained relationship between John Amos’s two children. Shannon Amos describes a deep rift, stating that while K.C. Amos and Foster maintain regular contact, communication between herself and either of them has ceased.
According to Shannon, the sibling discord originated from disagreements regarding their mother, Noel Mickelson’s, care and the subsequent handling of her estate. Noel Mickelson passed away in 2016 from sepsis, triggered by bedsores and a malignant tumor, as Shannon Amos detailed.
Although a reconciliation briefly occurred after their mother’s death, Shannon claims that K.C. Amos’s struggles with “addiction and financial mismanagement” led to a definitive “mutual parting” in August 2020, after which he moved in with their father. This living arrangement, according to Shannon, created barriers: “It became increasingly difficult for family, friends, business associates and caregivers to contact my father.”
K.C. Amos vehemently refutes these allegations of addiction and financial mismanagement, dismissing them as “baseless.” He asserts his commitment to a healthy lifestyle and honoring his parents’ memory: “I am committed to leading a balanced and healthy life, particularly to honor the memory of my mother and father with strength and dignity,” he stated.
Adding another layer of complexity to the situation, Shannon Amos had previously raised concerns about her father’s well-being, alleging elder abuse. On June 8, 2023, she posted on Instagram claiming her father was a victim of elder abuse and launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for his “care, legal fees, and aftercare,” describing his condition as “hanging by a thread.” However, the GoFundMe campaign was later removed by the platform without a detailed explanation initially provided to Shannon. A GoFundMe spokesperson later clarified, “Upon being informed that Mr. Amos wished to decline the funds raised on his behalf, the GoFundMe was put under review by our Trust & Safety team,” and subsequently removed with refunds issued to donors.
Following Shannon’s initial elder abuse allegations, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and the Custer County Sheriff’s Office in Colorado initiated an investigation on June 9, 2023. John Amos was residing in Westcliffe, Colorado, at the time these allegations surfaced. Sheriff Lloyd Smith of Custer County confirmed the investigation: “We did conduct a criminal investigation. We did collect and analyze some evidence,” he stated. However, he added that ultimately, “the district attorney did not believe there was enough evidence to file charges.”
In a video posted on Instagram on June 15, 2023, K.C. Amos presented John Amos himself addressing the situation. In the video, John Amos stated he had “ongoing issues” with Shannon and accused her of taking advantage of him. “She’s the one that I would attribute my elderly abuse to,” he declared, offering no specific details of the alleged abuse but firmly pointing the finger at his daughter.
Kevin Faler, a private investigator hired by John Amos, supported this view in a December 24 interview, characterizing the alleged abuse as “financial elder abuse,” though, like John Amos in the video, he did not provide specifics. Shannon Amos countered these claims, stating that when Amy Goudy, presumably a mutual acquaintance or investigator, questioned John Amos about the allegations against Shannon, he reportedly responded, “I have no recollection of that.”
Shannon argues that her father was in a “vulnerable state” when the video was recorded, being hospitalized with congestive heart failure, medicated for pain, and suffering from dementia. She posits that these conditions made him “susceptible to K.C.’s manipulation.” However, she has not provided formal documentation to support a dementia diagnosis.
Belinda Foster, John Amos’ publicist, directly refuted the claim of dementia. “John Amos had his right mind,” Foster asserted last month, emphasizing that he remained active professionally until his death, “adding that her client spent his final months working on projects and writing scripts.”
Further escalating the family tensions, K.C. Amos was arrested on July 15, 2023, in West Orange, New Jersey. This arrest followed a complaint filed by Shannon Amos with the West Orange Police Department, alleging that he had made death threats against her. The criminal complaint detailed Shannon’s “imminent fear of death,” believing in “the immediacy of the threat and the likelihood it could be carried out, specifically by sending text messages with photos of firearms.” Shannon described these threats as “part of a pattern of escalating harassment and intimidation” aimed at isolating her from her father. Kevin Faler dismissed these allegations as having “no merit.” Marta Estrella, a spokesperson for the New Jersey judiciary, confirmed that no charges were filed, and the case was closed on December 17.
In February 2024, the Los Angeles Police Department also initiated an elder abuse investigation following another complaint from Shannon Amos. However, according to a department spokesperson last week, the LAPD investigation appears to have found no evidence of wrongdoing.
Regarding Shannon’s claims of isolation, Foster denied that John Amos was isolated by K.C. Amos and herself during his final months. She countered, stating that Shannon and other family members had not attempted to contact John Amos, “These people had not been in touch with John Amos in over a year because he didn’t want to talk to them,” Foster claimed.
K.C. Amos also firmly denies any elder abuse, stating, “Let me be clear and transparent. There has been no physical, financial, emotional, psychological elder abuse or neglect committed against my father by me.”
As the legal investigation initiated by Shannon Amos and her lawyer James H. Davis III progresses, the full picture surrounding John Amos’s final months and the circumstances of his death remains unclear. The deep family divisions and conflicting accounts suggest that answers may be complex and hard-won, leaving the legacy of the beloved actor shrouded in controversy.
