Rep for John Amos says he’s OK after daughter said his life was ‘hanging by a thread’
A spokesperson for John Amos said Monday that the “Good Times” star is fine and “in good spirits” after his daughter claimed last week that his life was “hanging by a thread.”
In a phone conversation with The Times, Amos’ longtime publicist, Belinda Foster, said that the 83-year-old actor is at a Memphis hospital recovering well after doctors found some fluid in his lower body and drained it.
“These are his exact words,” Foster said Monday. “He said to tell you thank you for reaching out. He really appreciates your support, and he appreciates his fans and everyone that’s concerned. He said to let everyone know he is with his son and he is OK. And they are going to share more information at the appropriate time.”
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Amos is best known for playing the patriarch of the Evans family in the 1970s sitcom “Good Times,” adult Kunta Kinte in the seminal miniseries “Roots” and other beloved characters.
The latest update on the actor’s condition comes less than a week after his daughter, Shannon Amos, said on Instagram that her father had been hospitalized in Memphis and was experiencing “immense pain.” She wrote that the “Mary Tyler Moore Show” alum was in the intensive care unit and that his life was in danger.
Shannon Amos also launched a GoFundMe campaign for John Amos and encouraged her Instagram followers to help “provide care and support for my Dad.” She said that donations would be allocated to “a trust fund” her family had set up for her father.
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Shortly after Shannon Amos posted on Instagram, however, John Amos told TMZ he was not in the ICU fighting for his life.
Foster provided some additional context, explaining to TMZ that John Amos had been hospitalized because his lower body was filling with fluid that had reached his abdomen and caused heart issues. She said at the time that doctors were able to remove the fluid and Amos was feeling much better.
While speaking with The Times on Monday, Foster verified the TMZ report and confirmed that Amos is still in the hospital “temporarily ... finishing up some things.” She said he’s been eating, exercising, watching TV and hanging out with his son, K.C.
(Shannon and K.C. Amos are the children of John Amos and his ex-wife, Noel J. Mickelson.)
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Foster also explained how Amos ended up in the hospital in the first place.
In early May, Amos was a guest speaker at the Memphis Health Center’s Golden Anniversary Celebration. During the event, Foster said, attendees in the medical field offered to give Amos a physical exam before he returned home to Colorado for a standard checkup. He took them up on their offer and that’s when doctors discovered the fluid, according to Foster.
She said that Amos was “absolutely perplexed” when he heard that his daughter had set up a GoFundMe for him and demanded to speak with the media so he could set the record straight about his condition.
In addition to claiming that her father’s life was in jeopardy, Shannon Amos also stated in her Instagram post that John Amos was “a victim of elder abuse and financial exploitation.”
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Foster told The Times on Monday that she and Amos are “trying to understand” where the elder abuse and financial exploitation claims are coming from.
“I’ll put it this way: He himself is going to share some more information about some other things,” Foster added. “He will definitely share more information shortly.”
Meanwhile, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and the Custer County Sheriff’s Office confirmed in a press release last week that they were “thoroughly investigating” an allegation indicating that John Amos “could be a victim of a crime” — with the words “could be” emphasized in bold type.
The release noted that while the state of Colorado does not have a specific charge for elder abuse, crimes commonly committed against the elderly include criminal negligence, assault, robbery, theft, caretaker neglect, sexual assault and exploitation.
“Mr. Amos has been a beloved member of our community for many years,” the Custer County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
“We want to send our well wishes to Mr. Amos and hope that he has a speedy recovery.”
In a statement provided Tuesday to The Times, a spokesperson for Shannon Amos said that she and the family are “unwavering in their commitment to ensuring John’s safety, stability, and healing.”
“Shannon will not provide further comment as the investigation remains open with the Colorado Bureau of Investigations (CBI) and Custer County Sheriff’s Department,” the statement said..
“This continues to be a private family matter that Shannon hopes will be resolved soon.”
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