John Frieda, the British hairstylist whose clients included Jackie Kennedy, Princess Diana, Twiggy, Mick Jagger, Nicole Kidman and Madonna, has died at 75. His salon announced the death on Tuesday, November 3, saying Frieda passed away peacefully surrounded by his family.
In an Instagram tribute, the salon said Frieda had been more than a mentor to its team and called him an icon of the hair industry. It credited him with teaching its staff, supporting them and pushing them to improve. Cetera Lamb, the salon's creative director, said the industry had lost a true legend and a maverick in hairdressing.
Frieda was born in 1951 into a family of hairdressers and trained at the House of Leonard salon in London. In the 1970s he became known as a stylist for celebrities and high-fashion magazines, then opened his own salons. Those salons grew into an international haircare business.
His product company, John Frieda Professional Hair Care, was behind the Frizz-Ease line and was sold to the Japanese cosmetics group Kao in 2002. Frieda was married twice and had four children. His career connected editorial and celebrity styling with a consumer haircare brand, giving his name reach beyond the salon chair.