Born on July 1, 1936, in Tallahassee, Florida, Wallace Amos Jr, aka Wally Amos and better known as Famous Amos, started his career selling cookies in the 1970s in Los Angeles, California (he set up a store using a $25,000 loan from his illustrious friends Marvin Gaye and Helen Reddy).
He was the founder of several delicious culinary delights, including his eponymous chocolate chip cookie, the Cookie Kahuna, and Aunt Della’s Cookies gourmet cookie brands.
As a television personality, he hosted the adult educational series Learn to Read and appeared in various other shows, including The Jeffersons, Taxi, Biography, The Office, and Shark Tank (as per IMDb). In his appearance on the latter, he sought $50,000 in funding for 20% equity of his company “Cookie Kahuna.” However, none of the panel of venture capitalists took him up on the opportunity.
He also authored and co-authored several books, including 1983’s The Famous Amos Story: The Face That Launched a Thousand Chips and 2006’s Be Positive! Insights On How To Live An Inspiring And Joy-Filled Life.
Sadly, Amos passed away on Aug. 13, 2024, at the age of 88. But how did that happen?
How did Wally Amos Jr. die?
As per the New York Times, Wally Amos died at his home in Honolulu, Hawaii, due to complications arising from the most awful of neurodegenerative diseases: dementia.
Amos’ former PR spokesman, Gene Park, led the online tributes to him, writing on X, “rest in peace my friend, you deserve the rest.”
The cookie-making legend is survived by his four children, Michael, Gregory, Sarah, and musician Shawn (as per Biography). We hope he’s now at peace.
Published: Aug 15, 2024 09:55 am