Wally “Famous” Amos is dead: The talent agent and later cookie mogul was 88 years old

Wally Amos, the talent agent turned cookie entrepreneur whose Famous Amos brand began in a small shop on Sunset Boulevard, has died in Hawaii at age 88, his family announced today.

In a statement to the New York Times, Amos' children Shawn and Sarah said their father died on Tuesday from complications of dementia.

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Born in Florida, Amos moved to New York as a teenager and later joined the Air Force. After his military service, he returned to New York and began working in the mailroom at the William Morris Agency. He worked his way up the career ladder to become a talent agent, representing Simon & Garfunkel, The Temptations, and Marvin Gaye, among others.

He later moved to the West Coast to expand his customer base and pursue his other passion – baking. With the help of a $25,000 loan from Gaye and Helen Reddy, Amos opened his very first Famous Amos store on Sunset Boulevard in 1975.

Fueled by Amos' infectious personality and boundless marketing energy, his bite-sized cookies made from fresh ingredients became a local and national sensation. Amos also became a media darling, making guest appearances on television shows, including a 1981 episode taxi entitled “Latka's Cookies” and The office, The Jeffersons And Boys will be boys. Finally, he hosted a public educational program called Learning to read which promoted literacy.

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Amos has also written several books about his business and the power of confidence and advertising.

But his cookie empire eventually collapsed financially and he was forced to sell the Famous Amos Co. and his trademarked Famous Amos brand. He rebounded in the 1990s by founding the Uncle Noname Gourmet Muffin company, later renamed Uncle Wally's. He eventually returned to cookies, calling himself Cookie Kahuna.

Amos leaves behind his wife Christine and children Shawn, Sarah, Gregory and Michael.

City News Service contributed to this report.

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