John Frieda, the celebrity hairstylist behind the Frizz Ease hair-care line, has died aged 75. His salon announced his death in an Instagram post, saying he had passed away peacefully surrounded by his family. The cause of death has not been made public.
Frieda styled a wide range of public figures, including Twiggy, Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Madonna, Nicole Kidman, Scarlett Johansson and Diana, Princess of Wales. In 1976, he created the distinctive “Purdey” bowl cut for Joanna Lumley’s role in the television series The New Avengers. He also worked for British Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar.
Born Alan Howard Frieda in Kenton, Middlesex, he began working at London’s House of Leonard salon. He adopted the name John because another stylist there was also called Alan. Frieda opened his first salon in 1976, aged 25, and later established salons around the world.
Working with hair-care executive Gail Federici, Frieda developed his own product range. Frizz Ease launched in 1988, followed by Sheer Blonde in 1998. He sold his hair-care company to Japan’s Kao in 2002 in a deal valued at $450 million, while retaining five salons: two in London, two in New York and one in Los Angeles.
Tributes followed the announcement. His salon described him as an icon of the hair industry and said his talent and passion had touched many people. Cetera Lamb, creative director of Frieda’s London salon, called him “a true legend” and said he had led the salon for 50 years.
Frieda was married to Scottish singer Lulu from 1977; they had one child, Jordan. He moved to the United States in 1990 to focus on his hair-care business. In 2019, he married Avery Agnelli, with whom he had two children, Jackson and Leyla, and was stepfather to her daughter, Asia Agnelli Lagrange.
Sources: The Guardian Business.