John Frieda, the British celebrity hairstylist and beauty-industry figure whose clients included Jackie Kennedy and Princess Diana, has died at 75, his salon announced on Tuesday, November 3.
The John Frieda salon said in an Instagram post that Frieda died peacefully, surrounded by his family. It described him as more than a mentor and as a true icon of the hair industry, saying that he had taught its team, believed in its members and made them better.
From London training to celebrity and fashion work
Frieda was born in 1951 into 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. He later opened his own salons, which grew into an international haircare empire.
Over his career he looked after the hair of celebrities including Jackie Kennedy, Princess Diana, Twiggy, Mick Jagger, Nicole Kidman and Madonna. That client list reflects a career that moved between fashion editorial work, private clients and commercial haircare.
John Frieda Professional Hair Care and Frizz-Ease
His hair-product brand, John Frieda Professional Hair Care, was behind the Frizz-Ease line. The brand was sold in 2002 to Kao, the Japanese cosmetics conglomerate. The sale placed the product business under a larger corporate owner while the John Frieda salon continued to carry his name.
Frieda was married twice and had four children. Cetera Lamb, creative director at his salon, said the industry had lost a legend and a maverick in hairdressing.