John Frieda, Purdey creator and Frizz-Ease co-founder, dies at 75

By James Calloway

John Frieda, whose haircare product company he sold to Japan’s Kao for $450 million in 2002, died at 75, his salon announced on its official Instagram account on Tuesday, Nov. 3. The announcement gave no further details about his death.

“It is with heavy hearts that we share the news that our dear John passed away peacefully … surrounded by his family,” the salon wrote. It described Frieda as “more than a mentor” and “a true icon of the hair industry,” adding that staff would continue the legacy of someone who taught them everything.

His stepdaughter, Asia Agnelli Lagrange, confirmed the death that day in a post containing photographs of the pair. She called him the best man she had known, said he had touched many lives and reposted Stories from her half-brother and Frieda’s youngest son, Jackson.

Born Alan Howard Frieda in Kenton, Middlesex, on July 9, 1951, Frieda came from three generations of hairdressing. His father ran a salon in Ealing, England, while his grandfather was a Fleet Street barber. He told The Independent in 1999 that he never intended to become a hairstylist.

His father urged him to work in a larger salon. Frieda joined House of Leonard, became Lewis Leonard’s assistant and adopted the name his father used because another Alan already worked there. He explained to The Times in June 2026 that salon staff went by first names and could not share the same one.

Frieda’s work with Leonard took him to British Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, as well as clients including Twiggy, Jackie Onassis and Mick Jagger. His later celebrity clientele included Scarlett Johansson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Naomi Watts, Madonna, Nicole Kidman and Princess Diana.

What defined the Purdey cut?

In 1976, Frieda created the “Purdey” hairstyle (a statement bowl cut) for Joanna Lumley after she requested a schoolboy’s haircut for her role in The New Avengers. The finished technique became the signature style attached to his name.

Also in 1976, aged 25 and already credited with nine years of experience, he opened his own salon. “I get bored quickly,” he told The Independent in 1999. “I was thinking of giving up hairdressing. I needed a new challenge.” Shortly afterward, he married singer Lulu; Ringo Starr, Elton John, Tom Jones and other celebrities attended.

How did the business reach a $450 million sale?

In the 1980s, Frieda partnered with American haircare executive Gail Federici to create the eponymous John Frieda product line. They launched Frizz-Ease in 1988, introduced it in the United States in 1990 and followed with the Sheer Blonde line in 1998.

By 1990, Frieda had decided to concentrate on his brand and its frizz-fighting products. The business took him to the United States and ultimately led to his request for a separation from Lulu. Their son Jordan, then 14, moved with his father.

The former couple later reunited as friends. Frieda told The Times that he had never stopped loving Lulu, described her as an incredible and great person, and said he had not wanted to be defined as the husband of Lulu.

In 2002, Frieda met Frances Avery Agnelli, widow of Fiat heir Giovanni Alberto Agnelli; they married in 2019. He became stepfather to her daughter Azzi, who was four when they first met. The couple welcomed daughter Leyla Luna in 2005 and son Jackson in 2007; the report gave their ages as 21 and 19.

That same year, he sold the haircare product company to Japanese conglomerate Kao for $450 million. Frieda retained five salons: two in London, two in New York and one in Los Angeles. His business had grown from the single salon he opened in 1976 to five retained locations in 2002.

Frieda is survived by his wife, four children and two grandchildren, Isabella and Edward. His family and salon have already said his influence will endure through those he trained. The next test is whether the five salons he retained and the products bearing his name sustain the service and brand standards he established.