Celebrity hairdresser Vidal Sassoon dies at 84

ACCLAIMED hairdresser Vidal Sassoon has died after losing his battle with leukaemia.

The 84-year-old London-born crimper – famed for the “bob” hairstyle which epitomised the Swinging Sixties – died at his home in Los Angeles.

The four-times married celebrity stylist, made a CBE in 2009, revolutionised hairdressing with his free and easy creations.

Among his most celebrated clients were Mary Quant and model Jean Shrimpton.

Celebrity hairdresser Nicky Clarke was among those who paid tribute to him, saying he had lost a close friend who despite his advancing years retained an infectious vibrancy.

Born to Jewish parents, Sassoon also fought with the Israeli army in the War of Independence in 1948 and founded the Vidal Sassoon International Centre for the Study of Anti-Semitism in 1982.

On his return to the UK after the Israeli war, Sassoon worked for famous London hairdresser Raymond “Mr Teasy-Weasy” Bessone before opening his own Bond Street salon in 1958.

He went on to create a network of academies and lent his name to various hair products, turning his craft into a multi-million-dollar industry.