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Wally “Famous Amos” died: Cookie maker was 88

Wally Amos, the entrepreneur behind the cookie company Famous Amos, has died at the age of 88.

Shawn and Sarah Amos, two of his children, said Amos died at his Honolulu home. They attributed his death to complications from dementia, the New York Times reports. Amos also has two other children, Gregory and Michael, and is survived by his wife, Carol Williams.

Famous Amos' owner, the Ferrero Group, confirmed his death. In an Instagram post, the company wrote the following message: “Ferrero and the Famous Amos team 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.”


In a statement to CBS News, Amos' children said: “Our father inspired a generation of entrepreneurs. 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.”

Biography.com reported that Amos was not just an entrepreneur. He had many different jobs before making it big in the snack business.

He was the first black talent agent at the William Morris Agency in 1962. While working for William Morris, Amos discovered musicians Simon & Garfunkel and headed the agency's rock'n'roll department.

Amos began his career in the culinary arts after graduating from the Food Trades Vocational High School. He served four years in the U.S. Air Force and returned to New York in 1957, where he began his career at William Morris in the mailroom.

Inspired by his education and memories of his aunt's delicious cookies, Amos founded a cookie company called Famous Amos in 1975. He opened his first cookie shop on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles in 1975. Buoyed by his success, Amos opened two more stores on the West Coast and eventually in the flagship store of Bloomingdale's in New York City.

According to Biography.com, Amos also served as a spokesperson for the Literacy Volunteers of America organization for over two decades and received a Literacy Award from President George HW Bush in 1991.

Amos once said in an interview with NPR that the secret ingredient in his world-famous baked goods is love. “I think it's important to love what you do because that love transfers to what you do and makes it something absolutely amazing.”

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