Roots star John Amos dies aged 84 as his son pays tribute to his dad as a 'man with the kindest heart and a heart of gold'

Roots prima John Amos has passed distant astatine nan property of 84.

The prima died connected August 21 successful Los Angeles from earthy causes, per The Hollywood Reporter.

The character was champion known for his domiciled arsenic Kunta Kinte successful nan landmark mini bid Roots astir nan African-American acquisition of slavery. 

Based connected a real-life ancestor of writer Alex Haley, it tells nan communicative of a young man taken from Gambia and sold arsenic a slave. 

John scored an Emmy information for his domiciled successful the ABC-TV bid which was based connected nan book by writer Alex Haley.

The show became 1 of America's astir watched show successful nan precocious 1970s and received 37 Primetime Emmy Award nominations, 9 of which it won. 

Announcing his father's death, John's boy Chris said successful a statement: 'It is pinch heartfelt sadness that I stock pinch you that my begetter has transitioned. 

'He was a man pinch nan kindest bosom and a bosom of gold… and he was loved nan world over. 

'Many fans see him their TV father. He lived a bully life. His bequest will unrecorded connected successful his outstanding useful successful tv and movie arsenic an actor.' 

A reference to Roots deed Coronation Street backmost successful 2016 aft Ofcom launched an investigation into an section aft nan soap was accused of racism for a remark a characteristic made astir her hair.

The section saw Eva Price, played by Catherine Tyldesley, sojourn Audrey's hairsbreadth salon, wherever she remarked: 'I person much roots than Kunta Kinte.

'No thought who that is, by nan way, conscionable thing my mum utilized to say.' 

Aside from Roots, Amos famously portrayed patriarch James Evans successful nan first 3 seasons of CBS' groundbreaking sitcom Good Times, which aired for a full six seasons betwixt 1974-1979.

He besides played Gordy nan weatherman connected The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Kunta Kinte successful nan melodramatic miniseries Roots, which earned him an Emmy nomination. 

Amos went connected to characteristic successful complete 200 TV shows and films, including The West Wing, Coming to America and Me Time. 

The character infamously near Good Times aft 3 seasons complete disagreements pinch nan writing, which he felt leaned into stereotypes of African Americans.

Amos erstwhile said: 'I wasn’t nan astir negotiated feline successful those days, and nan show’s producers sewage tired of having their lives threatened complete jokes. 

'So they said, "Tell you what, why don’t we termination him off? We tin get connected pinch our lives!" That taught maine a instruction — I wasn’t arsenic important arsenic I thought I was to nan show aliases to Norman Lear’s plans.'

Earlier this twelvemonth the LAPD closed an investigation into claims that Amos' boy was abusing him.

Amos' girl Shannon Amos had many times accused his caretaker boy K.C. Amos of 'impersonating him successful communications, disregarding his aesculapian needs, and mishandling his finances.' 

Adult Protective Services forwarded Shannon's allegations to nan LAPD, who discovered 'there's thing earnestly wrong' pinch nan 84-year-old Emmy nominee's health.

It came soon aft Amos told People he was 'feeling good and moving diligently connected various projects, including nan docuseries that my boy and I are producing, on pinch a euphony release.'

John welcomed some Shannon and K.C. during his decade-long matrimony to his precocious ex-wife Noel 'Noni' Mickelson, which ended successful 1975.