VIDEO — ‘I Was Selling Happiness’: Beloved Creator of Famous Amos Cookies Dies at 88

The founder of Famous Amos cookies died this week at home in Honolulu, Hawaii, his family announced Wednesday.

Wallace “Wally” Amos Jr. was 88 when he died with his wife at his side following a battle with dementia, according to the Tallahassee Democrat.

In a statement, his children said, “Our dad inspired a generation of entrepreneurs. 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.”

According to the Famous Amos website, Amos opened a bakery in 1975 on Sunset Boulevard where he created the bite-size chocolate chip cookie made with the best ingredients from a family recipe.

“From there, the Famous Amos story became a Hollywood success story. Iconic musicians and other Hollywood celebrities began singing the praises of the delicious cookies from a small bakery on Sunset,” the site read.

Video footage shows the cookie creator doing what he loved:

Amos appeared on the hit show Shark Tank in 2016, saying he simply “wanted to have a good time.” During his interview on the show, he asked the Sharks for $50,000 which was “chump change” for the Sharks, he said when presenting “The Cookie Kahuna” company.

To try to further convince the Sharks, Amos played his kazoo and brought out a tray of sample cookies and milk:

According to ABC News, Amos was a talent agent before starting the cookie business. He appeared on the cover of Time magazine, and guest starred on shows such as The Jeffersons, Taxi, and The Office.

However, he said he was more of a promoter than a businessman and some poor decisions caused him to lose the company. During his Shark Tank appearance, he said he always thought he was selling cookies, but “it occurred to me that I wasn’t selling cookies. I was selling happiness.”

At one point, Amos had a cookie shop in Hawaii, NBC reported. “Amos also was active in promoting reading. His shop, for example, had a reading room with dozens of donated books, and Amos usually spent Saturdays sitting on a rocking chair, wearing a watermelon hat, reading to children,” the outlet said.