John Amos’ dying wish was to delay his death announcement to avoid daughter turning it ‘into a circus’: rep

John Amos wanted the announcement of his death delayed because he believed his daughter would turn his passing into a “circus,” according to the late actor’s longtime publicist. 

Amos’ death was revealed by his son, Kelly Christopher Amos, aka K.C., in an Instagram post on Tuesday, more than 40 days after the “Roots” star passed away at the age of 84 from congestive heart failure. In the hours following the announcement, Amos’ daughter, Shannon, shared her own Instagram post, saying she found out about her father’s death through the media reports.

Amos’ goddaughter, Amy Gaudy, then posted a lengthy statement via Facebook on behalf of several members of the “Good Times” actor’s family, including Shannon, accusing the star’s publicist, Belinda Foster, and KC of isolating them from Amos over the past year. She also suggested Foster and KC “may have taken advantage of [Amos’] vulnerability as an elder.”

On Thursday, Foster refuted all the accusations made against her by Gaudy, Shannon and other family members in a statement first provided to People and confirmed by The Post.

“I represented John Amos for over 30 years as his publicist of record. The media knows this along with John’s agencies of record,” Foster said.

“Over the years we grew close to one another to the point of a familial relationship. In the last few years, he often referred to me as his ‘daughter.’ This was not a fraud by John, K.C., or myself. He was like a father to me. I deeply mourn his passing.”

Amos had, by his own account, an “acrimonious” relationship with his daughter and denied Shannon’s allegation that K.C. committed elder abuse against him. 

Foster reiterated Amos’ past remarks about his daughter in her statement. 

“Shannon’s claims that John was abused are false,” Foster insisted. “K.C. and I and numerous others cared for him. On several occasions when Shannon claimed that he was abused, law enforcement authorities sat with John and confirmed his well being.”

In response to Gaudy and Shannon’s shock that they were not notified of Amos’ death, Foster said that K.C. was not legally allowed to contact his sister.

“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,” Foster explained.

“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.”

Foster continued, “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.”

Foster went on to say that she feels “sorry that Shannon has chosen this path, but consistent with John’s approach, I will respond to her with firmness but compassion.”

“John loved Shannon but she was a difficult child to the point that John had to order that an unauthorized ‘GoFundMe’ page that she put up in June 2023 be shut down.”

Pointing again to Amos’ own comments on his daughter, Foster added, “For those concerned with John’s state of mind, I should note that John had interviews with PEOPLE Magazine, Variety Magazine, Hollywood Reporter, and acted in SUITS LA all recently in 2024. Medical authorities have interviewed him in the last year and found him to be mentally sound.”

She ended by saying, “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.”

The statement put out by Gaudy on behalf of Shannon and other family members, which prompted Foster’s responses, was without a doubt head-turning. 

“Over the past year, John Amos was isolated from his family and close friends by Kelly “KC” Amos, Eugene Brummet and Belinda Foster,” Gaudy wrote on Facebook. 

The family members also claimed Amos had dementia, though Amos’ death certificate listed the star’s only medical condition as congestive heart failure.

Gaudy’s statement went on to accuse K.C. of giving Amos “verbal prompts to create a narrative on social media that was not reflective of the truth.” 

“We were deeply concerned that our father may have been neglected and isolated during his final days as we recieved [sic] photos from concerned neighbors and a medical professional,” Gaudy stated. “One photo even prompted an Elder Abuse investigation to no avail.” 

The family continued, “While we mourn the loss of our beloved father, we are also saddened and outraged by KC Amos’s actions. We refuse to rule out the possibility of foul play, especially given the involvement of two individuals, Eugene Brummer and Belinda Foster (who claims to have been John’s spokesperson), who we believe may have taken advantage of his vulnerability as an elder.” 

Gaudy concluded by adding, “At a time when we should be grieving and celebrating our father’s remarkable life, we find ourselves in the unfortunate position of seeking justice and clarity.”