John Amos’ Cause Of Death Revealed As Daughter Refuses To Rule Out Foul Play

Family and close friends have issued a “collective” statement.

John Amos in ‘Touched By Love’ (1980)

©Columbia/courtesy Everett Collection

John Amos‘ death certificate has surfaced.

The acclaimed actor died on Aug. 21 at 5:18 p.m. PT at Centinela Hospital Medical Center, according to the document obtained by TMZ. Despite accusations of foul play, the 84-year-old’s cause of death was congestive heart failure. An autopsy was not performed.

He was cremated nine days later on Aug. 30. The death certificate lists Amos’ son, Kelly Christopher “K.C.” Amos, as the “informant”— meaning that he was the person who informed Los Angeles County of his father’s death.

COMING TO AMERICA, John Amos, 1988, ©Paramount/courtesy Everett Collection

©Paramount/courtesy Everett Collection

There’s been a lot of controversy surrounding Amos since June 2023, when his daughter, Shannon, claimed he was being financially exploited and accused unnamed parties of elder abuse. On Wednesday (Oct. 2), she revealed that she learned of his death with the rest of the world the day prior, and is now saying that someone else pretended to be her on the night of his death. She’s also refusing “to rule out the possibility of foul play.”

“Someone was in the ER the night my father died and pretended to be his daughter,” Shannon wrote within her Instagram stories. “I’m his only daughter. We believe it was Belinda Foster, the woman also posing as his publicist. He died alone without family […] Something is very wrong with this.”

A full statement from “the collective family and close friends of John Amos” was also released, where Shannon, his god-daughter Amy Goudy, grand-daugther Quiera Williams, son-in-law Jasper Willams, former business manager Paul Baldessare, brother Leslie Franklin, best friend Willie Quinney, and niece
Sherri Korsun-Scott, all revealed that they learned of Amos’ death alongside the general public. They’re accusing K.C. of isolating the actor and evading investigation into his death.

“This tragic news has left us in shock and heartache,” the statement read. “We know he was suffering from congestive heart failure and dementia. We fear he was likely cremated to avoid any potential investigation into the conditions surrounding his final days.”

The statement also noted that Amos was “isolated” from family and friends by K.C., Eugene Brummet and Belinda Foster. “Despite our repeated attempts to maintain contact, KC prevented access to him, controlled and monitored his calls and severed ties with [the aforementioned parties and more]. KC portrayed an image of a close father-son relationship on social media, but the reality was far more complex.”

The full family statement from “the collective family and close friends of John Amos,” which says they “refuse to rule out the possibility of foul play” pic.twitter.com/v5ZpyrrNJi

— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) October 2, 2024

The family claims that Amos was prompted by K.C. to “create a narrative on social media that was not reflective of the truth.” They were admittedly “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.” They claim one photo proves their accusation of elder abuse and “mirrors” the controversial death of Shannon and K.C.’s mother.

They’re also questioning why they weren’t notified of Amos’ death by the authorities or medical professionals. “We believe there are critical questions that need answers, especially since we believe KC likely made the decision to have John Amos cremated without the family’s knowledge. We suspect these actions may have been taken to alter potential wills and collect life insurance or other benefits. This is made even more concerning by KC’s struggles with addiction and mental health issues, as well as his previous arrests,” the statement continued.

The family is ultimately now “seeking justice and clarity.”

Get weekly rundowns straight to your inbox