WASHINGTON — Wally Amos, the man in the straw hat who created and grew the Famous Amos cookie brand into a baked goods empire has died at the age of 88, the United Press International (UPI) reported.

Amos passed away on Tuesday at his home in Honolulu due to complications of dementia, his children Shawn and Sarah Amos told the New York Times.

He is also survived by his children Gregory and Michael, and his wife of 45 years, Christine Harris Amos.

Wallace Amos was born in Tallahassee in 1936 and was raised by his aunt in New York City’s Harlem. He served in the Air Force between 1954 and 1957 after dropping out of high school.

Amos, who later completed his General Educational Development (GED), worked his way up from the mailroom at William Morris Agency in Los Angeles, where he became the industry’s first Black talent agent.

He went on to become the head of the agency’s rock ‘n’ roll department and signed Simon and Garfunkel. — BERNAMA-UPI