While the shocking revelation of the death of beloved “Good Times” actor John Amos is continuing to make headlines, this latest update is one you truly won’t believe.
As previously reported by The Root on Wednesday, John’s daughter Shannon and other close family and friends broke their silence on the suspicious nature of the actor’s death in a collective statement published to social media. In it, they claimed that they weren’t notified of the actor’s passing when it actually occurred on Aug. 21 and only found out with the rest of the world this week.
They called out John’s son K.C. (of whom Shannon has a contentious relationship with) for allegedly isolating and controlling the “Coming to America” star and severing ties with the rest of his family. They also blasted John’s alleged spokespersons Eugene Brummer and Belinda Foster as people who “may have taken advantage” of the actor’s vulnerability in his ailing state.
Now, in a new statement given to People, Foster is alleging that it was John himself who requested that the news of his death be delayed out of fear that his daughter would turn it into “a circus” and provided more context as to why she wasn’t notified initially of her father’s passing:
At the time of John’s passing, 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. As a condition of his Pretrial Release, K.C. is precluded from making any contact with Shannon directly or indirectly by phone, social media, or any method of communication.
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. It was John who requested the delay in announcing his death to Shannon and the rest of the world.
Belinda went on to say that while Shannon is a “difficult” child and she feels “sorry” that she’s “chosen this path,” due to her professional obligations as a publicist, she’ll respond “with firmness but compassion” moving forward.
“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,” she said.
Additionally, in a new interview with TMZ, Shannon is expounding on her previous claim that her brother had their father cremated in attempt to “alter potential wills and collect life insurance or other benefits.”
“My uncle was actually the head of his estate and he had to do five wills because my brother would come in and would get him to sign paperwork. He would undo everything,” she explained, later adding: “I think that my brother had him cremated quickly so that law enforcement couldn’t do—and the family couldn’t ask for—an autopsy. We knew that my father had congestive heart failure. We know he wasn’t in any kind of hospice.”