LONDON, ENGLAND (THECOUNT) — John Frieda, the celebrity hairstylist who created the iconic Frizz-Ease haircare line and built an international beauty empire, has died at 75. His salon announced his death Tuesday, Nov. 3, saying he passed away peacefully surrounded by his family.
“John was more than a mentor to us; he was a true icon of the hair industry,” the John Frieda Salon said in a statement shared on social media. “He was the person who taught us everything, believed in us, and made us better.”
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The statement praised Frieda’s talent and passion, adding that his influence would live on through the stylists he mentored and the people whose lives he touched. No cause of death was announced.
Born Alan Howard Frieda in 1951, he grew up in a family of hairdressers. His father, Isidore Frieda, owned a salon in the London area and initially hoped his son would pursue a career in medicine.
Frieda later recalled that he entered hairdressing partly to avoid further schooling. His father eventually insisted that he train with one of London’s top stylists. At 16, Frieda began working at the prestigious House of Leonard in Mayfair, where he gained experience on fashion shoots and worked with celebrated figures including Twiggy, Jackie Kennedy Onassis and members of The Beatles.
One of his early career-defining achievements came in 1976, when he created the distinctive pageboy hairstyle known as the “Purdey” for actress Joanna Lumley, who played the character in the television series The New Avengers. Frieda also opened his own London salon that year, launching a career that would span five decades.
His clientele eventually included Princess Diana, Madonna, Sarah Jessica Parker, Nicole Kidman and Scarlett Johansson. His work extended beyond private appointments to fashion publications and major editorial shoots, helping establish him as one of the industry’s most recognizable stylists.
During the late 1980s, Frieda expanded beyond salon work and helped develop professional haircare products for consumers. His partnership with haircare executive Gail Federici produced the Frizz-Ease line, launched in 1988, which became one of the best-known products associated with his name. The brand later expanded with lines including Sheer Blonde.
Frieda sold his haircare business to Japan’s Kao Corporation in 2002 in a deal widely reported at approximately $450 million. He retained interests in his salons, maintaining a presence in the beauty industry after the sale.
Frieda was previously married to Scottish singer and actress Lulu, with whom he had a son. He later married Frances Avery Agnelli and had two additional children, while also becoming a stepfather to her daughter.
His legacy extended beyond celebrity hairstyles and bestselling products. In a June 2026 interview with the British Beauty Council marking five decades in the salon business, Frieda emphasized the importance of focusing on the quality of the work and giving each client the best possible experience.
Frieda’s death marks the end of a career that helped reshape both celebrity hairstyling and the consumer haircare market. His name remains associated with the products and salon business he built, as well as the stylists he trained and mentored.
Frieda was born in the London area and built much of his career in the British capital, where he opened his first salon. His place of death has not been publicly disclosed. The map below identifies London as the center of his early career, not as a confirmed location of his death.
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