Good Times dad and Roots star dead at 84

According to a statement from his family, the actor died of natural causes in his home in Los Angeles on August 21, though the news was not disclosed until today.

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

Born December 27, 1939 in Newark, New Jersey. Before becoming an actor, he had a notable career as a football player, playing in the Continental Football League and the Atlantic Coast Football League. He was signed by the Denver Broncos in 1964, but was cut before the season began due to an injury.

He had better luck as an actor: his breakout role was playing weatherman Gordy Howard on the beloved sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show, a role he played from 1970 to 1973.

Amos was best known for playing patriarch James Evans on the classic sitcom Good Times. Though he was only 34 when he was cast, he convincingly played a hardworking father of three, leading his family in a low-income housing project.