John Frieda, the British hairstylist who tended the hair of Jackie Kennedy and Diana, Princess of Wales, and went on to build an international haircare business, has died at the age of 75. His salon announced the death in an Instagram post on Tuesday, November 3.
In the post, the John Frieda salon said its founder "passed away peacefully... surrounded by his family" and described him as "more than a mentor" and "a true icon of the hair industry", crediting him with teaching its team, believing in its stylists and making them better.
Born in 1951 into a family of hairdressers, Frieda trained at the House of Leonard salon in London. During the 1970s he established himself as a stylist for celebrities and high-fashion magazines, and he later opened his own salons, which expanded into an international haircare empire.
Over his career his clients included Twiggy, Mick Jagger, Nicole Kidman and Madonna, in addition to Jackie Kennedy and Princess Diana.
His product brand, John Frieda Professional Hair Care, which stood behind the cult Frizz-Ease line, was sold in 2002 to the Japanese cosmetics conglomerate Kao.
Frieda married twice and had four children. Cetera Lamb, creative director at his salon, said the industry had lost "a true legend, a real maverick in hairdressing".