John Frieda was the hairdresser to the stars who became a celebrity in his own right, mixing with pop icons, Hollywood A-listers and prime ministers at some of the world’s most glamorous events.

Away from the parties and paparazzi, however, he was also a shrewd multi-millionaire businessman who built an extraordinary international property portfolio from his London mansion next door to the Beckhams.

Frieda, who died aged 75 last week, began buying property before he and his business partner sold the rights to his haircare brand for £334.3 million to a Japanese conglomerate 26 years ago. That deal gave him even greater financial firepower to expand his holdings.

Over the years, his portfolio included a mansion in Hampshire, a luxury chalet in Verbier in the Swiss Alps, an Ibiza villa and a wellness retreat.

He also owned two grand apartments in New York, several properties in the New England commuter belt and a £45 million mansion in London’s Holland Park.

Frieda developed a sharp eye for property early in life. By the age of 20, while already making a name for himself, he reportedly owned three London flats—living in one and renting out the other two.

Much of Frieda’s business career was spent in the United States, where he fell in love with the area around Candlewood Lake in Connecticut. The region was close to his US base in Danbury, around a 90-minute drive from Manhattan.

From 1992 onwards, he bought at least seven properties bordering the man-made lake, which has a nearby sailing club. By 2011, he had sold them all for a substantial profit.

His New York holdings once included an apartment in fashionable Chelsea, and he is also believed to have owned a Manhattan penthouse.

The property that most closely connected Frieda to his London roots was the vast £45 million home in Holland Park, a short distance from the Beckhams’ residence.

Land Registry records show that the property was sold in 2023.

Further along the M3, near Basingstoke in Hampshire, he also owned a substantial Grade II-listed Edwardian house in the village of Upton Grey, set within extensive grounds.

Frieda owned a chalet in the exclusive Swiss resort of Verbier, where his family established a base. His younger children, Leyla Luna, 21, and 19-year-old Jackson, still live in Switzerland.

The jet-setting hairdresser turned tycoon also expanded his Ibiza portfolio with Finca Losa Olivos, set in the island’s hilly interior, and an exclusive wellness centre called Our Retreat near San Antonio Bay. Sole occupancy now costs from £2,600 a week.

He first visited Ibiza in 1972. After arriving at what was then a tiny airport, he said he felt a “powerful energy” and decided to establish roots on the island.

“Ibiza has always held a special place in my heart, having had a family home on the island for the last 40 years,” he told Ibiza Bay magazine.

“There’s a magical, almost mystical, quality that remains at the heart of the island which draws me back time and time again.”

The retreat features eight bedrooms, two swimming pools, a floodlit tennis court, a yurt, a yoga platform and an outdoor terrace overlooking the pool.

Frieda’s personal share of the sale of John Frieda Professional Haircare Inc was around £165 million—equivalent to £319 million in today’s money—giving him the means to be highly generous, including in the political arena.

A committed admirer of Margaret Thatcher, he was, ironically, the leading donor behind Iain Duncan Smith’s Conservative leadership campaign. Duncan Smith’s baldness was reportedly cited by some as one reason he was viewed as unelectable.

In 2015, Frieda, a major donor to the Conservatives, hosted Samantha Cameron, wife of then Prime Minister David Cameron, at Losa Olivos in Ibiza.

Frieda and his wife were among roughly 400 guests who paid £1,000 each to attend the Conservatives’ 2012 summer party, where they sat on either side of the Camerons at the top table.

He received the loudest cheer of the evening after thanking the guests for coming and then attacking “loony Lefty nutters”.

The creator of the Frizz Ease range, who styled the hair of Twiggy, Jackie Kennedy and Mick Jagger, is survived by his three children.

He had a son, Jordan, with his first wife, British singer Lulu, whom he married in 1977.

Following their divorce, Frieda moved to the United States and married British architect Frances Avery Howe. Her first husband was the late Italian businessman Giovannino Agnelli, heir to the Fiat dynasty, who died tragically from cancer aged 33 in 1997.

Frieda and his second wife had two children, Jackson and Leyla.

He was also stepfather to Frances’s daughter, Asia Agnelli, from her marriage to Mr Agnelli.

Frieda began his career at 16, working for Leonard Lewis, better known as Leonard of Mayfair, who also trained Nicky Clarke and Daniel Galvin.

Before long, photographers and magazine editors were seeking him out, leading to international work for Vogue.

At 25, he left Leonard’s employment and established himself independently.

In 1977, he married Lulu—the former wife of Bee Gees star Maurice Gibb—who owned a country house in San Raphael, Ibiza.

That same year, he opened his first London salon and welcomed his son Jordan, now 49, who became an actor and is now a well-known restaurateur.

In 1980, he opened the first of his three London salons. He also became a familiar face on morning television, demonstrating his products live on women’s hair and showcasing their dramatic results.

After Frieda moved to the United States, his brand became the top-selling haircare range in 28,000 stores—a position it held for a decade.

John Frieda’s rise began with hair, but his success eventually extended into bricks and mortar on a remarkable scale across the globe.

The probate process—assessing, valuing and distributing his estate—is expected to be complex and time-consuming, while potentially proving highly lucrative for those named in his will.