John Frieda, celebrity hairstylist and hair care entrepreneur, dies at 75

John Frieda, the celebrity hairstylist who built a bestselling hair care business alongside his salon career, has died aged 75. His salon announced his death on Instagram, saying he had died peacefully surrounded by his family. No cause of death has been made public.

In its tribute, the salon described Frieda as a mentor whose encouragement and teaching had shaped the people who worked with him. Staff said his talent and enthusiasm had reached many people and that they would carry his legacy forward. Cetera Lamb, creative director of his London salon, also paid tribute to his creativity and vision during 50 years of leadership.

Frieda’s clients included Twiggy, Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Scarlett Johansson, Madonna, Nicole Kidman and Diana, Princess of Wales. His work extended to British Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. One of his best-known creations was the distinctive bowl cut worn by Joanna Lumley as Purdey in the television series The New Avengers in 1976. That year, at 25, he also opened his first salon.

Born Alan Howard Frieda in Kenton, Middlesex, he came from a family with roots in the trade: his father was a hairdresser and his grandfather a barber. His career began at London’s House of Leonard salon. With another stylist there already called Alan, he adopted the professional name John.

During the 1980s, Frieda collaborated with American hair care executive Gail Federici to develop a product range of his own. Frizz Ease followed in 1988, with Sheer Blonde launching a decade later, in 1998. As the business expanded, he also opened salons internationally. In 2002, he sold his hair care company to Japanese conglomerate Kao for $450m, keeping five salons, two each in London and New York and one in Los Angeles.

Frieda married the Scottish singer Lulu in 1977, and they had a son, Jordan Frieda. In 1990, he relocated to the United States to concentrate on his expanding hair care brand. The move contributed to the breakdown of their marriage.

He met Avery Agnelli, the widow of an heir to the Fiat car company, in 2002. They married in 2019 and had two children together, Jackson and Leyla. Frieda was also stepfather to her daughter, Asia Agnelli Lagrange, who shared photographs of them on Instagram and wrote about his death and the many lives he had touched.

Model and television personality Jo Wood was among those remembering Frieda on social media. She recalled having her hair done by him when she was 16 and he was an assistant at Leonard’s, along with their visits to the pub afterwards. Her tribute joined those from family and salon colleagues remembering his personal warmth and contribution to hairdressing.