John Frieda, the British celebrity hairstylist and haircare entrepreneur, has died at 75, his salon announced. In a statement posted on Instagram, the John Frieda salon said he passed away peacefully surrounded by his family.
The salon described Frieda as more than a mentor and a true icon of the hair industry, saying he had taught its team, believed in them and helped them improve. Cetera Lamb, the salon’s creative director, said the industry had lost a true legend and a real maverick in hairdressing.
Born in 1951, Frieda came from a family of hairdressers and trained at the House of Leonard salon in London. He built a reputation as a hairstylist to stars and high-fashion magazines in the 1970s before opening his own salons, which developed into an international haircare empire.
His clients over the years included Jackie Kennedy, Princess Diana, Twiggy, Mick Jagger, Nicole Kidman and Madonna, according to the announcement. His haircare brand, John Frieda Professional Hair Care, was behind the cult Frizz-Ease line and was sold to the Japanese cosmetics group Kao in 2002.
Frieda was married twice and had four children.