Famous Amos Cookies founder Wallace Amos Jr. dies at the age of 88

Wallace Amos Jr., the founder of Famous Amos Cookies, has died at home from complications of dementia. Amos' family said in a statement to NPR that his wife, Carol, was by his side when he died. He was 88.

Advertising

Wallace, affectionately known as “Wally” Amos, was known for his cookie empire, which began with a store that opened on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California in 1975. The famous Amos cookies are recognizable by their beige packaging and blue and white logo.

“With his Panama hat, his kazoo and his boundless optimism, Famous Amos was a great American success story and a source of black pride,” the Amos family statement said. “It is also a part of our family history that we will forever be grateful and proud of. Our father taught us the value of hard work, believing in ourselves and pursuing our dreams. He was a true, original black American hero.”

The Amos family, including Wallace Amos' children Sarah, Michael, Gregory and Shawn Amos, have asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Alzheimer's Association. “We also know he would appreciate it if you had a chocolate chip cookie today.”

Advertising

Using his aunt's homemade cookie recipe (and the not-so-secret ingredient of love), Wally Amos dedicated his life to baking world-famous cookies. In 2008, he told NPR that love was the key to his success.

Advertising

“I think it's important to love what you do because that love transfers to what you do and makes it something absolutely fantastic,” Amos said at the time. In 1987, Wallace received the Horatio Alger Award, which recognized him as a “messenger of inspiration.” The award is given to people who are “contemporary role models whose experiences illustrate that opportunities for successful lives are available to all people who are committed to the principles of integrity, hard work, perseverance and compassion for others,” according to the association's website.

In addition to his work as a cookie maker, Amos was dedicated to literacy, serving on several boards and co-founding the Chip & Cookie Read Aloud Foundation, an organization that teaches children to read, with his wife. Amos also wrote eight books during his lifetime, including The Famous Amos Story: The Face that Launched a Thousand Chips, The Cookie Never Crumbles: Inspirational Recipes for Every Day Living, and Live an Inspiring Life: Ten Secret Ingredients for Inner Strength.

Advertising

Eventually, Amos sold Famous Amos cookies in the late 1980s, then moved to Hawaii, where he spent the rest of his life.