John Frieda, the British celebrity hairstylist and long-standing beauty-industry figure, has died at 75. His salon announced the death in an Instagram post on Tuesday, November 3, saying he passed away peacefully surrounded by his family. The salon described him as more than a mentor and as a true icon of the hair industry, crediting him with teaching its staff, believing in them and making them better.
Frieda was born in 1951 into a family of hairdressers and trained at the House of Leonard salon in London. He became known in the 1970s as a stylist for stars and high-fashion magazines before opening his own salons, which expanded into an international haircare empire. Over his career he tended the hair of Jackie Kennedy, Princess Diana, Twiggy, Mick Jagger, Nicole Kidman and Madonna, among others.
His product brand, John Frieda Professional Hair Care, was behind the Frizz-Ease line. The brand was sold to the Japanese cosmetics group Kao in 2002. 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. The announcement focused on his influence on colleagues as well as his long career in salons, magazines and haircare products.