John Frieda, the British celebrity hairstylist whose career ran from the London salon scene of the 1970s to an international haircare business, has died aged 75, his salon announced on Tuesday, November 3.
The John Frieda salon said in an Instagram post that he had "passed away peacefully... surrounded by his family". The statement did not specify a cause of death.
The salon called him "more than a mentor" and "a true icon of the hair industry", adding that he had taught its team everything, believed in them and made them better.
A family trade
Born in 1951, Frieda came from a family of hairdressers and trained at the House of Leonard salon in London. He established himself in the 1970s as a stylist to the stars and to high-fashion magazines, and then opened his own salons, which grew into an international haircare empire.
Royal, rock and screen clients
His clients over the years included Jackie Kennedy and Princess Diana, as well as the model Twiggy, Mick Jagger, Nicole Kidman and Madonna.
His product brand, John Frieda Professional Hair Care, was behind the cult Frizz-Ease line. It was sold to the Japanese cosmetics conglomerate Kao in 2002.
His working life therefore ran on two tracks at once: styling for magazines and celebrity clients, and a salon group that carried his name, later extended by a product range taken over by a large cosmetics company.
Tributes
Cetera Lamb, creative director at his salon, said the industry had lost "a true legend, a real maverick in hairdressing".
Frieda married twice and had four children.