Famous Amos Cookie founder and literacy activist Wallace Amos has died at the age of 88

from Keka Araujo

15 August 2024

The popular entrepreneur revolutionized the snack industry with his delicious bite-sized cookies.

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The founder of the popular biscuit brand Famous Amous has died. He was 88 years old.

Wallace “Wally” Amos, the visionary creator behind the popular Famous Amos cookie brand and passionate advocate for children’s literacy, passed away on August 14 at home with his wife Carol in Honolulu, Hawaii. According to the New York Times, his children Sarah and Shawn said the patriarch had succumbed to complicity.Dementia diseases.

Amos launched the Famous Amos cookie brand in 1975 after borrowing $25,000 to open his business. The sweet treat revolutionized the snack industry and became a symbol of black entrepreneurial success. His first store was in Hollywood, California, on Sunset Boulevard.

Although he eventually lost ownership of the company and the right to use his name, Amos continued his entrepreneurial journey and opened a cookie shop called Chip & Cookie in Hawaii after moving there in 1977. In 1988, Amos sold his cookie brand to a private equity firm, losing the treat his aunt had taught him to make.

His children Sarah, Michael, Gregory and Shawn Amos recalled: “With his Panama hat, his kazoo and his boundless optimism, Famous Amos was a great American success story and a source of black pride.”

However, in 1985 the company ran into financial difficulties, so Amos brought in outside investors and eventually lost ownership of the company he had built. The brand changed hands several times before being sold to a Taiwanese company in 1991 for $63 million.

Despite these challenges, Amos continued to innovate. In 1992, he co-founded Uncle Wally's Muffin Co., which initially started as Uncle Noname Cookie Co. before focusing on muffins. Although the muffin company eventually ran into financial difficulties, Amos was undeterred and continued to sell bite-sized cookies similar to those from his original business at his Hawaii store.

In addition to his business activities, 88-year-old Amos was also deeply committed to promoting literacy. The patriarch wrote eight books and was a spokesman for the Literacy Volunteers of America for over two decades.

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Fans and supporters could catch Amos reading to children in his store's reading room on Saturdays. His efforts earned him numerous awards, including the Literacy Award from President George HW Bush in 1991, who praised him for inspiring others to learn to read.

Regarding his legacy, Amos once said, “Being famous is greatly overrated anyway.”

His children agreed: “Our father taught us the importance of hard work, believing in ourselves and pursuing our dreams.” They added: “We also know that he would be happy if you had a chocolate chip cookie today.”

Amos leaves behind a lasting legacy of resilience, innovation and commitment to education that will inspire future generations.

The brand he founded has not yet mentioned his death on its social media accounts, but that has not stopped its supporters from expressing their condolences.