Rise to Fame
Three seasons on Good Times as James Evans Sr. ended with him getting fired. He'd fought the white writing staff over authentic portrayal long enough that they killed his character off in a car accident. Norman Lear had cast him after seeing him on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, but that wasn't enough protection when he pushed back. He's said Roots took the bad taste out of his mouth. Over 130 million Americans watched the 1977 miniseries. He got an Emmy nomination and proved that being difficult about authenticity was the right call.
In the Spotlight
The family drama around his final years overshadowed his legacy. A 2016 Lewy body dementia diagnosis set off a care dispute between his two children, with daughter Shannon alleging son K.C. was exploiting him financially. Investigations in Colorado and Los Angeles opened and closed without charges. K.C. delayed announcing his death for 41 days after he died of congestive heart failure in August 2024. Suits LA dedicated an episode to him titled Good Times and called him 'the Sidney Poitier of television.' For a man whose own family couldn't agree on who he was, at least Hollywood got it right.
Side Notes
Before TV, he spent years grinding semi-pro football through a circuit of obscure leagues: the Canton Bulldogs, the Jersey City Jets, the Victoria Steelers, and half a dozen others. A Golden Gloves boxing champion. A pulled hamstring cost him a shot with the Denver Broncos. He kept playing until Kansas City cut him in 1967. Coach Hank Stram was moved enough by a poem Amos read to the team that he told him to pursue writing instead. Between football stints, he reportedly worked as a social worker and an ad copywriter. TV found him last.
Final Chapter
His body was cremated on August 30, 2024, nine days after death, before any public announcement. Shannon Amos, who says she learned about her father's death through media reports, hired a lawyer to investigate the circumstances of his final months. Suits LA paid tribute with an episode titled 'Good Times.' Jimmie Walker and Martin Lawrence were among those issuing public statements.