John Frieda, the British celebrity hairstylist and haircare entrepreneur, has died at 75, his salon announced. In an Instagram post, the John Frieda salon said he died peacefully surrounded by his family.
Born in 1951 into a family of hairdressers, Frieda trained at the House of Leonard salon in London. He established himself in the 1970s as a hairstylist to stars and high-fashion magazines before opening his own salons, which grew into an international haircare business. For decades, his name was associated with both salon styling and consumer haircare.
His clients included Jackie Kennedy, Princess Diana, Twiggy, Mick Jagger, Nicole Kidman and Madonna. Frieda also built John Frieda Professional Hair Care, whose Frizz-Ease line became a cult product. The brand was sold to Japanese cosmetics group Kao in 2002.
In its Instagram post, the salon said: "John was more than a mentor to us; he was a true icon of the hair industry. He was the person who taught us everything, believed in us, and made us better." Frieda was married twice and had four children. The post did not give a cause of death.
Cetera Lamb, creative director at his salon, said the industry had lost "a true legend, a real maverick in hairdressing".