Celebrity hairstylist John Frieda dies at 75

Celebrity hairstylist John Frieda has died at the age of 75, according to a statement shared on his Instagram account on Tuesday night. The Sun reported that the stylist passed away peacefully surrounded by his family. While friends stated he had been unwell, a specific cause of death has not yet been publicly revealed. Tributes quickly emerged across the beauty and entertainment industries, remembering him as a pioneering figure who reshaped modern haircare.

The Instagram statement released by his colleagues reflected on his long-standing influence in the salon world. “John was more than a mentor to us; he was a true icon of the hair industry,” the post read. “He was the person who taught us everything, believed in us, and made us better. His talent and passion touched so many, and his legacy will live on in every single one of us.” Additional tributes poured in from across the industry, with Irish Mirror noting that former staff and peers expressed deep shock and sorrow at the loss of a mentor who spent decades guiding other professionals.

Early Beginnings in London Salons

Born in London in 1951, Frieda was the son of a Polish-born father and an Irish mother, growing up in Kenton, Middlesex. At age five, he contracted rheumatic fever and spent a year in the hospital, an illness that left him with a slight heart murmur. Privately educated at King’s School in Harrow with the expectation that he would pursue medicine, Frieda instead transitioned into hairdressing at age 16 after receiving poor exam results. He once told The Standard, “I became a hairdresser for all the wrong reasons, to get out of studying.”

He initially worked in his father’s London salon before taking on a new challenge in his mid-20s, opening his own establishment. As the Irish Mirror detailed, when another stylist named Alan shared the workspace, Frieda adopted his middle name to avoid confusion. He soon built a reputation styling high-profile figures, working with publications like Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, and tending to the hair of celebrities including Twiggy, Mick Jagger, and Princess Diana.

Creating the Frizz Ease Empire and the Purdey Cut

Throughout his career, Frieda shaped major pop culture trends and launched revolutionary products. He invented the Purdey bowl for Joanna Lumley in 1976. Expanding his vision beyond the salon chair, he noticed that hair products failed to address specific needs tied to distinct hair textures and colors, particularly curly and wavy locks. Marketing director Heather Warnke, who told Allure, explained that no one previously categorized hair types by color or specialized needs until Frieda set out to solve the problem.

The result was the development of the Frizz Ease product range, which transformed his brand into a global household name. By the time he sold his haircare empire to a Japanese company for $450 million (approximately £260 million) in 2002, his products were widely distributed. Even after the sale, Frieda continued running his international salons located in cities such as New York City, Los Angeles, Barbados, and Ibiza.

Frieda Married Pop Singer Lulu in Nineteen Seventy Six

Frieda’s personal life frequently intersected with the public eye. In October 1976, he married Scottish pop singer and actress Lulu (Marie Lawrie) at the Hampstead Register Office, with notable figures like Ringo Starr, Elton John, and Tom Jones attending the nuptials, according to the Irish Mirror. The couple welcomed a son named Jordan before their marriage began to strain under the pressures of his growing business empire. They divorced in 1991, with Lulu later reflecting to The Telegraph in 2002 on the painful period of drifting apart.

Following the divorce, Frieda relocated to New York, where he launched new product ranges tailored for different hair colors and met his second wife, Frances Avery Agnelli, the widow of an heir to the Fiat car company. The couple had two children, Jackson and Leyla, and Frieda became a stepfather to her daughter, Asia. Following his passing, Asia shared a heartfelt tribute on social media, writing: “Sadly my J has passed away. Today we lost the best man to ever exist. I share this because I know he touched the lives of so many.” Frieda is survived by his wife, his four children, and two grandchildren.