Wally Amos, founder of the “Famous Amos” cookies, dies at the age of 88

Wallace “Wally” Amos Jr., founder of the nationally known and popular “Famous Amos” cookies, died on Wednesday at the age of 88, his family said.

The American entrepreneur died peacefully at home surrounded by his wife Carol after battling dementia, Amos' children Sarah, Michael, Gregory and Shawn said in a statement.

Born in Tallahassee, Florida, Amos built his brand in 1975 from a bakery in Hollywood, California, and a family recipe.

“Our father inspired a generation of entrepreneurs,” his children said, adding, “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.”

“Big was the way to go, but Wally Amos dared to start small and perfected the ultimate bite-sized chocolate chip cookie,” the brand's website states. After that, Amos and his cookies became a Hollywood success story. “Famous musicians and other Hollywood stars began singing the praises of the delicious cookies from a small bakery on Sunset Boulevard,” the website states.

In his later years, Amos became the owner of a cookie shop called Chip & Cookie in Hawaii, where he moved in 1977, the Associated Press reported. He also co-founded Uncle Wally's Muffin Co., whose products are also available in stores nationwide.

But Amos said fame never really meant much to him. “Being famous is highly overrated anyway,” Amos told The Associated Press in 2007.

Wally's son Shawn, a blues musician and author, founded the first store in Hollywood with his father. Shawn Amos' book Cookies and Milk, published in 2022, is based in part on his experiences as the son of the founder of Famous Amos.

“It's a book about joy, it's a book about fathers and sons wanting to be seen by each other,” he said on “CBS Mornings.”

Shawn said he worked in the front of the store while his dad baked cookies in the back.

Amos' children praised their father for teaching them the importance of hard work, believing in themselves and pursuing their dreams. “He was a true, original black American hero,” they said in their statement.

Amos was also an active promoter of reading. He wrote eight books, served as a spokesperson for the Literacy Volunteers of America for 24 years and gave motivational speeches to businesses, universities and other groups, AP reported. His volunteer work earned him the National Literacy Award, presented to him by President George HW Bush in 1991, AP reported.

“Your greatest contribution to your country is not your straw hat on display in the Smithsonian Museum, but the people who inspired you to learn to read,” Bush said.

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