*John Amos‘ longtime publicist, Belinda Foster, is speaking out about the circumstances surrounding his death, amid claims from some family members that it was suspicious.
We reported earlier that Amos’ death certificate reveals he passed away at age 84 from congestive heart failure on August 21 at Centinela Hospital Medical Center in Inglewood, CA. According to Vibe, the actor’s death was confirmed to be from natural causes, though an autopsy was not performed. He was cremated on August 30, but on October 2, his daughter, Shannon, revealed she learned of his death on social media. She is now refusing to rule out the possibility of foul play.
A full statement from “the collective family and close friends of John Amos” was also released, where they revealed that they learned of the actors’s death at the same time as the general public. They’re accusing Amos’ son, Kelly Christopher “K.C.” Amos of isolating the “Good Times” star and evading an investigation into his death.
The family also wants to know why they weren’t notified of Amos’ death by the authorities or medical professionals. Foster refuted their claims in an exclusive statement shared with PEOPLE.
“I represented John Amos for over 30 years as his publicist of record,” Foster said. “The media knows this along with John’s agencies of record. 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.”
“Shannon’s claims that John was abused are false,” Foster continued. “K.C., Eugene and I, along with 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.”
Foster also addressed the claims that K.C. failed to notify the family about his death. “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,” she said.
“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,” she explained. “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 added.
Shannon previously made headlines for alleging that her father was a victim of elder abuse, which Amos denied.
Last year, K.C. was charged with making “terroristic threats” against Shannon, PEOPLE reported. He was arrested in West Orange, New Jersey, after allegedly threatening to “kill Shannon with the purpose to put her in imminent fear of death,” according to the complaint.
READ MORE FROM EURWEB.COM: John Amos’ Cause of Death Confirmed, Daughter Won’t Rule Out Foul Play – She Also Learned He Died Via the Media
