Coming to America actor John Amos dies aged 84

Actor John Amos has died at the age of 84, his son has announced.

Amos rose to fame in the 70s with his portrayal of hard-working father James Evans Sr. on TV show Good Times.

He then gained critical acclaim for playing Kunta Kinte Roots, a 1977 miniseries about the horrors of slavery, which earned him an Emmy nomination.

In 1988, Amos played Cleo McDowell in Coming to America alongside Eddie Murphy.

“It is with heartfelt sadness that I share with you that my father has transitioned,” his son Kelly Christopher Amos said in a statement.

John Amos has died at the age of 84 (J.Sciulli/WireImage)

“He was a man with the kindest heart and a heart of gold… and he was loved the world over. Many fans consider him their TV father.

“He lived a good life. His legacy will live on in his outstanding works in television and film as an actor.”

His son confirmed that he passed away from natural causes on 21 August in Los Angeles.

In an interview before he died, Amos believed that Hollywood has made advances in relation to racism following the release of Roots over 45 years ago.

"You'd have to ask each black actor in Hollywood. Have we made advances? Yes, we have," he told Screen Rant.

"Are we all the way there yet, where we have total artistic, creative freedom? No, but then how many people have reached the level of a Steven Spielberg?

"Even white actors. That is a very lofty perch. And the bottom line is we've got a lot of work to do, but we're well on our way towards getting it done."