Wally Amos' famous cookies reached the world with Marvin Gaye's help

The world is a little less beautiful following the death of black icon Wally Amos, who lived many different lives in his 88 years here. After growing up in Tallahassee, the multi-talented artist moved to Harlem as a teenager to live with his aunt Della Bryant. Amos dropped out of high school but later returned to finish his degree; like many young men in the '50s, he felt called to serve his country. Amos was a member of the U.S. Air Force from 1954 to 1957, but ultimately decided he craved something more glamorous.

While working his way up the ranks at the William Morris Agency, Wally Amos settled down with his wife, Carol Williams, whom he leaves behind. The couple had four children – Gregory, Michael, Shawn and Sarah – who are already doing their part to ensure the family legacy lives on forever. They no longer own the famous cookie company, Famous Amos, that their father founded in 1975, but they will always remember him for his delicious recipes and infectious smile.

How did Wally Amos die?

Making it to your late 80s is an impressive feat, but family, friends and fans are mourning the unexpected loss of Wally Amos. The 88-year-old died at his home in Honolulu on Tuesday, August 13. “Our father inspired a generation of entrepreneurs,” his children told CBS News. “With his Panama hat, his kazoo and his boundless optimism, Famous Amos was a great American success story and a source of black pride. It is also part of our family history, for which we will be forever grateful and proud.” The businessman's death was a result of complications related to his battle with dementia.

Building the famous Amos empire

Before Baking captured his heart, Wally Amos was the first black talent agent

Amos was driven to success after returning from the Air Force in 1957. He was just a postal worker when he started at the William Morris Agency that year, but according to History, he later became the industry's first black talent agent. Little do music fans know that without his efforts, we may never have heard classic groups like Simon and Garfunkel or the Supremes – both of which were virtually unknown when Amos signed them.

After a decade of proving himself to contemporaries and clients, the visionary moved to the West Coast in 1967 to open his own agency. Around this time, Amos was looking for calming hobbies that would keep him present while managing his busy schedule, and so he started baking. “It was a kind of therapy,” he once told the New York Times. “I would go to meetings with a record company or movie people and bring some cookies, and pretty soon everyone was asking for them.”

A generous gift from Marvin Gaye and Helen Reddy made his dreams come true

As more and more people sought out Wally Amos' famous cookies, those closest to him knew there was only one solution: convince him to open a shop dedicated exclusively to his chocolate chip cookies. Singer Marvin Gaye and Australian star Helen Reddy gave the amateur baker $25,000 in start-up capital and the rest is history. The first Famous Amos store opened on Sunset Boulevard in 1975 and built a reputation for its natural ingredients and preservative-free recipe.

In his first year of business, Wally earned $300,000. By the early 1980s, Famous Amos had generated $12 million in sales and opened dozens of stores nationwide. In addition, grocery stores began offering prepackaged options, making the black-owned brand more accessible than ever. In the middle of the decade, President Reagan awarded the company's founder one of the first awards for entrepreneurial excellence. This award continued his groundbreaking run, which unfortunately took a turn when financial difficulties arose in the late '80s.

Entrepreneur tried a comeback under a different name

Wally Amos sold his cookie company to the Ferrero Group in 1988 for $3 million, after which he was no longer allowed to use his name and image, although he returned as a spokesperson for Famous Amos in 1999. In 2024, the brand is still owned by Ferrero, which issued a statement following news of Wally's death.[We] “We are saddened by the loss of Wally Amos and our thoughts are with his family. He brought joy to millions with his cookies and is an inspiration to generations of entrepreneurs. We will continue to work to honor his legacy,” they wrote on Instagram.

More recently, the founder of Famous Amos attempted a comeback under other names, such as Uncle Noname, Uncle Wally's Muffin Co. and Cookie Kahuna. He introduced the latter to The Shark Catby offering the show's investors a 20 percent stake in his Hawaiian dessert company, which seemingly closed in 2018. Despite this downfall, Wally Amos always maintained a positive attitude, making him a strong inspiration to other black entrepreneurs. To get in a similar frame of mind, read his book, The road to success is paved with positive thinking. REST IN PEACE.