A famous actor who often portrayed fatherly figures and was once dubbed "America's Dad" has sadly passed away.

Hollywood star John Amos, who gained fame as the father on the "Good Times" sitcom in the 1970s, died on August 21 at the age of 84, according to the Daily Mail.

The death was announced this week by his son, Chris Amos, and it is unclear why it took so long for the news to be made public.

Death belatedly announced

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Chris Amos said in a statement, "It is with heartfelt sadness that I share with you that my father has transitioned" and passed away from natural causes in Los Angeles, California.

"He was a man with the kindest heart and a heart of gold … and he was loved the world over," the grieving son added. "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."

Born as John Alan Amos Jr. in 1939 in Newark, New Jersey, his father was a truck driver and mechanic while his mother was a housekeeper who later became a nutritionist. He grew up as a fan of comic strips and writing but also played football -- he was a star running back at Colorado State University -- and briefly pursued a professional football career after his college playing days were finished.

After trying out and playing for several teams in various leagues, Amos realized his football career wouldn't pan out and ended up getting into stand-up comedy and TV writing, which led him to Hollywood in the late 1960s, where he settled in with his true calling as an entertainer.

An accomplished actor

According to his IMDb page, Amos has 121 credited appearances as an actor in various TV shows and films, plus 60 appearances as himself and a handful of credits as a writer and producer.

Though his appearances began in 1970, it wasn't until he portrayed Gordy the weatherman on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" that he began to garner attention, which led to him making a few appearances on "Maude," which in turn led to him being cast as John Evans Jr., the father on spin-off series "Good Times," though he left that show after three seasons following disagreements with producers about racial stereotypes.

Amos' fame received another big boost in 1977 when he was nominated for an Emmy for his portrayal of the older Kunta Kinte, also known as Toby, in the award-winning TV miniseries "Roots."

Over the decades, Amos made one-off appearances in dozens of TV series but earned recurring roles in several popular programs, including "Hunter," "In The House," "The District," "All About The Andersons," "The West Wing," and "Men in Trees," among others.

Amos also starred in numerous popular movies, including "Coming to America," "Lock Up," and "Die Hard 2," among many others.

Famous TV dad had tough relations with his actual family members

Unfortunately, though famous for playing friendly fatherly figures, Amos in real life had an "acrimonious relationship" with some of his children, per THR.

In addition to his son Chris, Amos is also survived by his son K.C. and his daughter Shannon, as well as two ex-wives, Noel "Noni" Mickelson and Lillian Lehman.