Amos Cookie’s renowned founder and early childhood education advocate Wallace Amos has died at age 88.

This founder beloved cookie brand Famous Amous has died. He was 88.

Wallace “Wally” Amos, visionary creator of the favored Famous Amos cookie brand and passionate advocate for youngsters’s education, died August 14 at home together with his wife, Carol, in Honolulu, Hawaii. According to his children, Sarah and Shawn, he expressed that the patriarch suffered complicationsdementia-related diseases.

Amos founded the Famous Amos cookie brand in 1975 after borrowing $25,000 to begin the business, and the sweet treat revolutionized the snack industry and became a logo of black entrepreneurial success. It was first headquartered in Hollywood, California, on Sunset Boulevard.

Although he ultimately lost ownership of the corporate and the rights to make use of his name, Amos continued his entrepreneurial journey by opening a cookie shop in Hawaii called Chip & Cookie after moving there in 1977. In 1988, Amos sold his cookie brand to a non-public equity firm, losing the delicacy his aunt taught him to make.

His children, Sarah, Michael, Gregory and Shawn Amos, recalled: “With his Panama hat, kazoo and boundless optimism, Famous Amos was a paragon of great American success and a source of pride for black people.”

However, in 1985, the corporate was struggling financially, prompting Amos to hunt outside investors and ultimately lose ownership of the corporate he had built. The brand modified hands several times before being sold for $63 million to a Taiwanese company in 1991.

Despite the challenges, Amos continued to innovate. In 1992, he co-founded Uncle Wally’s Muffin Co., initially as Uncle Noname Cookie Co. before moving into muffins. Although the muffin company eventually faced financial difficulties, Amos remained undeterred, selling bite-sized cookies just like those in his original store.

In addition to Amos’ business ventures, the 88-year-old was staunchly committed to promoting literacy. The patriarch authored eight books and served as a spokesman for Literacy Volunteers of America for greater than 20 years.

Fans and followers could see Amos spending Saturdays reading to children in his store’s reading room. His efforts earned him quite a few honors, including the Literacy Award from President George H. W. Bush in 1991, who praised him for uplifting others to learn to read.

Reflecting on his legacy, Amos once said, “Being famous is way overrated anyway.”

His children echoed this sentiment: “Our dad taught us the value of hard work, believing in ourselves and following our dreams.” They added: “We also know he would be happy if you ate a chocolate chip cookie today.”

Amos leaves behind an enduring legacy of resilience, innovation and commitment to education that can encourage generations to come back.

The brand he founded has not yet mentioned his death on its social media accounts, but that hasn’t stopped its followers from offering their condolences.