John Amos' cause of death revealed: 'Roots' actor died of heart failure

"Roots" and "Coming 2 America" actor John Amos' cause of death has been released.

The "Good Times" star died of congestive heart failure in a Los Angeles-area hospital on Aug. 21, according to a death certificate obtained by USA TODAY on Oct. 8.

The veteran actor, whose legal name was John Allen Amos Jr., had the condition – caused by the heart's inability to circulate adequate blood and oxygen to the body's organs – for years before his death, the document notes. No other significant conditions that attributed to his death were noted. He was cremated nine days later.

His son, Kelly Amos, was named as the person who'd informed the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health about his father's death.

"It is with heartfelt sadness that I share with you that my father has transitioned," Kelly Amos said in a statement shared with USA TODAY on Oct. 1. "He was a man with the kindest heart and a heart of gold ... and he was loved the world over."

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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart failure was mentioned in 13.9% of causes of death issued in 2022.

Born in Newark, New Jersey, John Amos' first big role came in 1970, when he played weatherman Gordy Howard on CBS' "The Mary Tyler Moore Show."

Not long after, Amos landed perhaps the most iconic role of his career: patriarch James Evans Sr. on "Good Times," the groundbreaking Norman Lear sitcom that ran from 1974 to 1979 and was a spinoff of "Maude." He departed the series following disagreements with the writers over how Black characters were depicted.

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Amos was also best known for playing the older Kunta Kinte in the landmark miniseries "Roots," a role that earned him an Emmy nomination.

Throughout his five-decade career, Amos turned in dozens of other performances, from Major Grant in "Die Hard 2" to Cleo McDowell in the Eddie Murphy comedy "Coming to America." He reprised the latter character in the 2021 sequel, "Coming 2 America."

Amos also had a memorable role as Admiral Percy Fitzwallace on NBC's "The West Wing" and in recent years appeared on shows including CBS' "Two and a Half Men," Netflix's "The Ranch" and HBO's "The Righteous Gemstones.