John Frieda, the British celebrity hairstylist and beauty-industry stalwart whose clients included Jackie Kennedy and Princess Diana, has died at 75. His salon announced the death in an Instagram post on Tuesday, saying Frieda had died peacefully surrounded by his family.
Born in 1951, Frieda came from a family of hairdressers and trained at the House of Leonard salon in London. He established himself in the 1970s as a hairstylist to stars and high-fashion magazines before opening his own salons, which grew into an international haircare business.
Over his career he looked after the hair of celebrities including Twiggy, Mick Jagger, Nicole Kidman and Madonna. His 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 married twice and had four children. In its tribute, the salon described him as more than a mentor and as a true icon of the hair industry, saying he had taught its team, believed in them and made them better.
Cetera Lamb, creative director at his salon, said the industry had lost "a true legend, a real maverick in hairdressing". The Instagram post did not disclose a cause of death.