John Amos' Cause of Death Revealed Amid Family Chaos

Source: Shareif Ziyadat / Getty

The cause of death of the celebrated actor John Amos has been revealed as his family members are clashing publicly.

Veteran actor John Amos’ cause of death was revealed as his family members and others continue to clash publicly over the situation. According to reports from People Magazine, Amos died of congestive heart failure at an Inglewood, California hospital at 5:18 P.M. on August 21. Further records show that Amos was cremated on August 30, nine days after his passing. His son, Kelly Christopher “K.C.” Amos, is listed as the informant on the death certificate by Los Angeles County. Records also show that there was no autopsy conducted.

John Amos’ death announcement, which occurred on October 1, has reignited a public feud between K.C. and his sister, Shannon Amos. In a post on Instagram, Shannon Amos wrote “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,” detailing that she was “struggling” to

comprehend the “uncertainties surrounding his passing.” 

She would also be part of a statement from “collective family and close friends,” including Amos’ goddaughter Amy Goudy that was issued on Facebook on October 2. The statement questioned K.C. Amos’ treatment of their father in his final days and alleged that he failed to notify other family members of the circumstances, claiming “he was likely cremated to avoid any potential investigation into the conditions surrounding his final days.” Shannon and K.C. have clashed before, with Shannon claiming elder abuse was committed by K.C.

John Amos’ publicist, Belinda Foster, who was also named along with K.C. Amos in the statement, refuted those claims citing a 2023 no-contact court order in New Jersey that Shannon brought against K.C. “At the time of his death, John was concerned that Shannon might turn his death and interment into a circus as she had done with other aspects of his life.” Foster wrote, adding: “It was John who requested the delay in announcing his death to Shannon and the rest of the world.” The publicist (who would note that the 84-year-old Amos denied any elder abuse in the past) would conclude by saying, “For the sake of preserving John’s well-earned reputation as a superb actor and a community activist, we hope we can put to rest these nonsensical claims that Shannon is offering out of her own pain as a result of estrangement from her father.”