Famous Amos, who founded Los Angeles cookie empire, dies at 88 – NBC Los Angeles

Wally Amos, the talent agent turned cookie entrepreneur whose brand “Famous Amos” was launched in a small shop in
Sunset Boulevard has died in Hawaii at the age of 88, his family announced on Wednesday.

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

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 work as a talent agent 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, appearing on television shows and authoring several books about his business and the power of confidence and advertising.

Finally, he also hosted the educational television program “Learn to Read” to promote reading and writing skills.

But his cookie empire eventually collapsed financially and he was forced to sell the Famous Amos Co. and his trademarked “Famous Amos” brand.

He experienced a resurgence in the 1990s with the creation of Uncle Noname Gourmet Muffin, later renamed Uncle Wally's. He later returned to cookies, calling himself Cookie Kahuna.

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