John Frieda, the British celebrity hairstylist and haircare entrepreneur, has died at the age of 75, his salon announced on Tuesday, November 3.
The John Frieda salon said in an Instagram post that Frieda had died peacefully with his family around him. The salon described him as more than a mentor and as an icon of the hair industry, saying he had taught its staff, believed in them and helped them improve.
Born in 1951, Frieda came from a family of hairdressers and trained at the House of Leonard salon in London. He built a reputation in the 1970s as a hairstylist for stars and high-fashion magazines before opening his own salons, which expanded into an international haircare business.
Over his career, according to the announcement, he worked with celebrities including Jackie Kennedy, Princess Diana, Twiggy, Mick Jagger, Nicole Kidman and Madonna. His product brand, John Frieda Professional Hair Care, was behind the Frizz-Ease line and was sold to the Japanese cosmetics group Kao in 2002. The announcement provided no cause of death.
Frieda married twice and had four children. Cetera Lamb, creative director at his salon, said the industry had lost a true legend and a real maverick in hairdressing.