Millionaire Hairstylist to the Stars Dies at 75
John Frieda worked with big names, including Jackie Onassis, Princess Diana, Twiggy, and Gwyneth Paltrow.
Tom Wargacki/WireImage
John Frieda, celebrity hairstylist and beauty entrepreneur, died Tuesday at 75. Frieda’s death was announced on his salon’s official Instagram page.
“John was more than a mentor to us; he was a true icon of the hair industry,” the statement read. “His talent and passion touched so many, and his legacy will live on in every single one of us.”
Frieda was born in the London suburbs to hairdresser Isidore Frieda and Hannah Mary Docherty. He began working shifts at his father’s shop before joining the House of Leonard, a high-fashion salon in London.
According to People, Frieda quickly became salon owner Lewis Leonard’s assistant and started working with publications like British Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar.
In 1976, a 25-year-old Frieda opened his own salon. About a decade later, he launched the iconic beauty brand, Frizz-Ease. Frieda also worked for numerous celebrities over his career, including Princess Diana, Twiggy, Jackie Onassis, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Nicole Kidman. He amassed a net worth of more than $200 million.
John Frieda worked with Diana, Princess of Wales, in Canada on June 27, 1983.
Anwar Hussein/Getty Images
He married Scottish pop singer Lulu in 1977; they had a son together. After their divorce, he married Frances Avery Agnelli, widow of Fiat heir Giovanni Alberto Agnelli, and had two more children and a stepdaughter.
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