In The News

Celebrity hairdresser Vidal Sassoon passes away

Celebrity hairdresser Vidal Sassoon passes away

VIDAL Sassoon, the man who transformed women’s hairdressing, has passed away. He was 84.

The body of the celebrity hairdresser, who had been suffering from leukaemia, was found at his home in Los Angeles. Officials said he had died of natural causes.

Mr. Sassoon is credited with revolutionising the hairdressing profession. Until he came along women mostly had their hair set with rollers and then fixed in position with hair sprays. But in the 1960s, Mr. Sassoon hit the London scene and created the ‘bob’ style and was the hairdresser of choice for a range of celebrity clients including the fashion designer Mary Quant.

His ‘wash-and-wear’ styles freed women from the helmet-like rigidity of the 1950s. 

The London-born hairdresser went on to work in the United States. He built a worldwide reputation and business — developing a successful range of hair-care products.

As a teenager Mr. Sassoon had thought he would become a footballer but his mother declared he would be a hairdresser. But before taking-up the scissors the young Sassoon travelled to the fledging state of Israel to fight in the Arab-Israeli War of 1948. 

Back in London, Mr. Sassoon trained with the famous hairstylist Teasy Weasy Raymond before opening his own salon.

In October, 2011, Mr. Sassoon was the guest on the BBC’s Desert Island Discs. In the show he recalled an occasion when he had been in hospital and he had thought about dying. He said: “I woke up one night smiling. I thought, I’ve had the best adventure you could possibly have, for a kid that started from nowhere, and you’ve been very, very lucky. So if you have to go now, I’m ready.”

To view a recent interview with Vidal Sassoon, click here.

 

View previous In the News items: Tributes are paid to author and illustrator Maurice Sendak, Actor and magician John Forrest passes away, Tributes are paid to actress Patricia Medina, World famous poker player Amarillo Slim passes away, Nobel Prize winner Renato Dulbecco passes away, Olympic boxing medalist Terry Spinks passes away, Art world mourns the passing of Louis le Brocquy, Environmentalist Ernest Callenbach passes away, Funeral of tragic mother and daughter to be held, Disability rights campaigner Lord Ashley passes away, Guitar legend Bert Weedon passes away, American TV legend Dick Clark passes away, Tributes are paid to founder of Corrymeela community, Computer pioneer Jack Tramiel passes away, Character actor Luke Askew passes away, Hero of the French Resistance Raymond Aubrac passes away, Popular painter Thomas Kinkade passes away, Music world bids farewell to Banjo Barney, Music world pays tribute to guitar amp maker Jim Marshall, Pinball wizard Steve Kordek passes away, Funeral takes place of former politician Addie Morrow, Banjo player Earl Scruggs passes away, Former pirate radio DJ Tom Lodge passes away, Skateboard innovator Larry Stevenson passes away, Tributes are paid to Scottish darts legend Jocky Wilson, Former aerospace chief Sanford McDonnell passes away, Respected Northern Ireland journalist passes away, Tributes are paid to motorcycle expert Mick Walker, Actress Faith Brook passes away, Chemist who warned of global warming passes away, Illustrator behind the famous Ponderosa map passes away, Ashes of singer Davy Jones to be brought back to UK, Songwriter Robert Sherman passes away, Star Wars artist Ralph McQuarrie passes away, Bishop says Frank Carson was the prime minister of fun, Tributes are paid to Richard Carpenter of Catweazle fame, The actress Marion Mathie passes away, Actor Peter Halliday passes away, Fans pay tribute to comedy legend Frank Carson, Last of the buccaneers John Fairfax passes away, Tributes are paid to opera singer Elizabeth Connell, Rock musician Michael Davis passes away, Friends celebrate the life of Whitney Houston, Former royal commentator James Whitaker passes away, Tributes are paid to the actor David Kelly, Canadian adventurer Don Starkell passes away or Tributes are paid to race horse trainer Josh Gifford

 

If you have a relative or a friend who has passed away and feel they should be mentioned in our In the News section, then please email us.