Wally Amos, Founder of Famous Amos Cookies, Dies at 88

Mar. 15, 2025

Wally Amos.Photo:AP Photo/Lucy Pemoni

AP Photo/Lucy Pemoni

Wallace “Wally” Amos, the founder of Famous Amos cookies, has died. He was 88.

His family and Famous Amos' current owner, the Ferrero Group, confirmed Wally’s death to PEOPLE.

“Our dad inspired a generation of entrepreneurs,” Wally’s children toldCBS News. “With his Panama hat, kazoo, and boundless optimism, Famous Amos was a great American success story, and a source of Black pride. It’s also part of our family story for which we will forever be grateful and proud.”

Wally was born in Tallahassee in 1936 and moved to Harlem as an early teenager to live with his aunt, Della Bryant. He briefly left New York after dropping out of high school (he earned his G.E.D. shortly afterward) and joined the Air Force from 1954 through 1957.

Before becoming a cookie maverick, Wally worked his way up in a talent agency. He started in the mailroom at William Morris Agency in 1957 and became the first black talent agent in the industry, according toHistory. He signed then-unknown and eventual superstar acts Simon and Garfunkel and the Supremes.

Wallymoved to the West Coast in 1967to open his own agency and started baking on the side.

Wally Amos continued in the baked goods business after selling Famous Amos in the 1980s.AP Photo/Lucy Pemoni

It was with the financial help of musical legends Marvin Gaye and Helen Reddy, who gave him $25,000 to get started, that Wally opened Famous Amos Cookie Company in a shop on Sunset Boulevard in 1975, according to a 1999New York Timesprofile.

The cookies were known for their natural ingredients and for being preservative-free. The company made $300,000 in its first year and reached $12 million in revenue in its first five years. The one Los Angeles location grew into dozens of stores nationwide and packaged products being sold in grocery stores.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

With the popularity of his cookies, Wally’s name, smiling face and Panama hat became iconic. In 1986, President Reagan gave Wally one of the first Awards of Entrepreneurial Excellence.

After some financial troubles, Famous Amos was bought for $3 million in 1988.

Wally worked with the Ferrero Group on-and-off and came back as a spokesperson in 1999.

In selling the company, Wally lost the use of his name and his image. He sold baked goods under other names, like Uncle Noname, Uncle Wally’s Muffin Co., and the Cookie Kahuna.

Wally had a passions for reading and writing. In 1981, Wally also became the spokesman for the Literacy Volunteers of America, an organization focused on teaching adults to read. He eventually wrote several books, includingThe Cookie Never Crumblescookbook andThe Path to Success is Paved with Positive Thinking.

source: people.com