John Frieda, the British celebrity hairstylist who tended the hair of Jackie Kennedy, Princess Diana and a long list of entertainers, has died at 75. His salon announced the death in an Instagram post, saying Frieda had passed away peacefully surrounded by his family.
“John was more than a mentor to us; he was a true icon of the hair industry,” the salon said, adding that he taught its team everything, believed in them and made them better. Cetera Lamb, the salon’s creative director, said the industry had lost “a true legend, a real maverick in hairdressing.”
From London training to an international haircare empire
Born in 1951, Frieda came from a family of hairdressers and trained at the House of Leonard salon in London. In the 1970s he established himself as a hairstylist to stars and high-fashion magazines before opening his own salons, which grew into an international haircare empire.
Over his career he looked after the hair of celebrities including Twiggy, Mick Jagger, Nicole Kidman and Madonna. His hair product brand, John Frieda Professional Hair Care, was behind the cult Frizz-Ease line and was sold to the Japanese cosmetics conglomerate Kao in 2002.
Frieda was married twice and had four children.