John Amos' Daughter Shannon Announces Memorial for Late Actor amid Family Drama: 'We Are Sending My Dad's Spirit Home'

Mar. 15, 2025

John Amos (right) and daughter Shannon during Cure Autism Now Celebrates Third Annual “Acts of Love” - After Party at Lucques Restaurant in Los Angeles in 2004.Photo:J.Sciulli/WireImage

J.Sciulli/WireImage

John Amos' daughter Shannon has organized a memorial for her late father.

John was 84 when he died of natural causes in Los Angeleson Aug. 21, but Shannon, 58, claimedshe didn’t learn of his deathuntil it made the news on Oct. 1, when her brother, Kelly Christopher “K.C.” Amos, released a statement. Prior to that, the two had been involved in a back-and-forth over elder abuse claims involving their father.

On Oct. 23, Shannon announced in an Instagrampostthat a memorial and celebration of life for theGood Timesstar will take place on Nov. 23 as a means of “sending my dad’s spirit home” and to “celebrate his extraordinary life and legacy.”

The event will take place in East Orange, New Jersey “at the Cicely Tyson School of Performing and Fine Arts, located on the former campus of East Orange High School—John’s alma mater,” with speakers including the city’s mayor, Ted. R Green.

Shannon’s post described her late father as a “trailblazing figure in entertainment” whose life was a “a story of perseverance, family, and service.”

“Known worldwide as ‘America’s Father,’ John Amos broke barriers with his roles inGood Times,Roots,The West Wing, andComing to America,” she wrote. “Beyond the screen, he was a passionate humanitarian—advocating for children with disabilities and joining forces with Nelson Mandela in the fight to end apartheid.”

“This tribute will honor not only his achievements as an actor and athlete, but also his enduring commitment to family, his hometown, and the causes he championed,” Shannon continued.

John Amos attends the 2014 Doe Fund Benefit & Gala at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City on October 30, 2014.Shahar Azran/WireImage/Getty

Shahar Azran/WireImage/Getty

Since learning of her dad’s death “through the media,” as she wrote in an initial Instagramposton Oct. 1, Shannon has been open about the emotions she’s been feeling as she deals with her grief.

She continued, “You spoke to me in my dreams just before you departed and I lit a candle for you on my altar to light your path. I asked family to do the same. I prayed and asked the ancestors to hold you, as I made an offering to Yemayah to cleanse your soul. You are free now my beloved Daddy. You are free.”

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From left: John Amos, Shannon Amos, and K.C. Amos in 2008.Brian To/FilmMagic

Brian To/FilmMagic

Despite Shannon expressing her shock at learning of John’s death in the news, his longtime publicist Belinda Foster told PEOPLE,“It was John who requested the delay in announcing his death to Shannon and the rest of the world.”

“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 said, adding that K.C. “was under a strict no-contact order from the Superior Court of New Jersey based on the Complaint that his sister Shannon brought against him in 2023,” which “precluded” him “from making any contact with Shannon.”

source: people.com