Wallace “Wally” Amos died from complications of dementia at his home in Honolulu, Hawaii on Tuesday, Aug. 13. He was 88.
He was the creator of the Famous Amos chocolate chip cookie empire who went on to become a children’s literacy advocate.
Amos was born and raised in Tallahassee, Florida, until he was 12 years old. When his parents divorced, he moved to New York City with his aunt, Della Bryant.
He enrolled at the Food Trades Vocational High School in NYC, where he showed an interest in cooking at a young age.
His aunt Della would bake cookies and send them to him in the military. Amos later developed his own Famous Amos chocolate chip cookies.
After serving in the military, Amos worked as a mailroom clerk with the William Morris Agency. He soon became a talent agent and signed artists such as the Supremes and Marvin Gaye.
In 1975, a friend suggested that he open a store to sell his cookies. With the help of a $25,000 loan from singers Marvin Gaye and Helen Reddy, the first Famous Amos cookie store opened in Los Angeles, California in March 1975.
The company soon grew, and eventually, Famous Amos chocolate chip cookies could be found on supermarket shelves across the United States.
Amos became such a well-known pop culture figure that he appeared as himself in the Taxi episode “Latka’s Cookies”, in 1981. Oprah Winfrey made him her “official cousin.”
Amos turned his focus to literacy in America and he wrote several books, including The Cookie Never Crumbles and The Power in You.
Amos advocated literacy and helped thousands of adults learn to read.
Amos struggled as a businessperson and eventually lost his business and the right to control his name.
He co-founded Uncle Wally’s Muffin Co., whose products were distributed in stores nationwide. His muffin company, based in Shirley, N.Y., was originally founded as Uncle Noname Cookie Co. in 1992
Amos moved to Hawaii where he opened a cookie shop called Chip & Cookie. He also lived in Columbus, Ohio, where he worked on opening Aunt Della’s Cookie shop.
Amos was married six times to four women. He is survived by four children: Michael Amos, Gregory Amos, Sarah Amos, and musician Shawn Amos.
“He loved love,” Sarah Amos said in a statement after her father’s death.
